In Chichaoua Province, Agricultural Activity Returns to Normal

Adassil - In the province of Chichaoua, agricultural activity is beginning to return to normal, with signs of recovery gradually emerging in several municipalities, such as Adassil, one of the areas hardest hit by the earthquake of September 8, 2023. Nestled in the High Atlas Mountains, 112 km from Marrakech, Adassil is beginning to regain its former dynamism thanks to agriculture, a key pillar of the region's economic activity. Courage, hope and resilience are today the key words for the inhabitants of the villages of this mountainous locality who, faced with the heavy losses caused by the natural disaster, have rolled up their sleeves to revitalize their lands and return to normal life. Lhossein Agour, a local herder, expresses his deep gratitude for the initiatives to support farmers, including the free distributions of livestock and fodder, which have enabled him to bounce back after his considerable losses. "The support measures have considerably strengthened the hope and resilience of all the herde rs in the region," he told MAP. The same goes for Hamid Bendriss, a farmer in Majdid village, who also benefited from the distribution of barley and seeds adapted to the new post-earthquake conditions. "Thanks to this support, we will restore our crops and improve our yields with a view to contributing to the food security of our region," he said, in an enthusiastic and hopeful tone. In the neighboring village of Tikekht, the efforts made to repair, redevelop and fill with water a 2,000 ml linear seguia are already beginning to bear fruit, to the great delight of the residents, who do not hide their relief. "We now have regular access to irrigation water. This allows us to save our crops and resume our agricultural activities with greater serenity," said Abdelkabir Balhih, one of the residents of the village. In addition to these efforts in Adassil, similar initiatives have multiplied across other municipalities in the province of Chichaoua, to rebuild the infrastructure essential to resume agricultural activities. Hamid Aresmouk, Director of the Economic Interest Group "Abaynou Olive Chichaoua" expressed his gratitude for the support received for the rehabilitation of the headquarters of this organization, located in the rural municipality of Sidi Bouzid. "The renovation of the facilities and equipment has made it possible to revive the processing and marketing of olives, key for the local economy," he said, expressing his hope for a complete and sustainable recovery of the olive growing activity, a real lever for the economic prosperity of the province. For his part, Tarik Touimi, Provincial Delegate for Agriculture, stressed the importance of continued efforts to support agricultural recovery in the province. In a statement to MAP, he noted that the rehabilitation of infrastructure, combined with support programs for farmers and breeders, is a priority to ensure an effective and sustainable recovery. For Touimi, these initiatives aim not only to restore production capacities, but also to strengthen t he resilience of agricultural communities in the face of future challenges. Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse