Key Roundtable in Morocco: Challenges of the cereal sector in Morocco
17 May 2025
Agadir – Morocco
In May 2025, the Faculty of Law, Economics and Social Sciences (FSJES) of Ibn Zohr University in Agadir hosted a high-level roundtable entitled “Challenges of the Cereal Sector in Morocco”. The event was organized by the UIZ team of the STAPLES PRIMA project in partnership with the LAREFMO research laboratory.
The meeting was officially opened by Prof. Si Mohammed Bouaziz, Dean of FSJES, who welcomed the invited speakers during a reception held at the Faculty. The occasion provided an opportunity to discuss the university’s strategic positioning and the relevance of the STAPLES project in addressing both regional and national priorities related to food security and agricultural sustainability.
Chaired by Prof. Said Akrich, Coordinator of the STAPLES project, the roundtable took place in the Faculty’s main conference hall and attracted more than 100 Master’s and PhD students. Participants had the opportunity to engage directly with leading experts and stakeholders from Morocco’s cereal sector.
Key contributions from sector stakeholders
The event featured presentations from three prominent representatives of Morocco’s cereal value chain.
- Mouhcine El Moussaoui, Regional Director of SONACOS, highlighted the strategic importance of certified cereal seeds as a key driver of productivity, resilience to climate change, and food sovereignty. He also discussed current challenges such as low adoption rates, distribution constraints, and the need to expand national production and develop public-private partnerships.
- Khalifa Hmaidouch, representing the ONICL, presented the central role of the Office in market regulation and national cereal supply management. He addressed both global market disruptions (logistics, speculation, currency fluctuations) and the structural complexity of the domestic cereal chain, emphasizing the state’s regulatory instruments to stabilize the soft wheat market and ensure national food security.
- Mohamed Azzaoui, from the Souss-Massa Chamber of Agriculture, brought a regional perspective to the discussion, underlining the challenges of local organization, innovation, and support to agricultural entrepreneurship.
Strengthening resilient and sustainable Cereal Value Chains
The roundtable strongly reflected the objectives of the STAPLES project, which aims to enhance the resilience, sustainability, and competitiveness of cereal value chains across the Mediterranean region. By bringing together researchers, public institutions, industry representatives, and future professionals, the event fostered a constructive dialogue on the challenges and opportunities facing Morocco’s cereal sector.
Discussions highlighted the importance of strengthening cooperation among stakeholders, promoting innovation throughout the value chain, and improving the capacity of the sector to respond to climate, market, and logistical challenges. Particular attention was given to the role of knowledge exchange and evidence-based policymaking in supporting the transition towards more resilient and sustainable cereal production systems.
The active participation of Master’s and PhD students further contributed to the event’s impact, encouraging a new generation of researchers to engage with the economic, environmental, and policy dimensions of food systems. Through initiatives such as this roundtable, STAPLES continues to support multi-actor collaboration and knowledge sharing as key drivers for the long-term sustainability of Mediterranean cereal value chains.
This article was carried out within the framework of the STAPLES project, part of the PRIMA Programme, supported by the European Union under Grant Agreement No. 2333. Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the PRIMA Foundation or the European Union, and neither of them can be held responsible for the information contained.
