Morocco’s agricultural sector is set to expand by 15% in 2026, Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch announced on Thursday following a cabinet meeting. The growth is expected to strengthen the wider national economy.
Akhannouch attributed the recovery to the return of consistent rains, which have boosted prospects for the sector despite localized flooding in parts of the north and west. Official data indicate cumulative rainfall from September 1, 2025, to March 11, 2026, reached 462 millimeters—134% of the level recorded during the same period last year and 56% above the 30-year average.
The improved weather conditions mark the end of a seven-year drought that had cost the sector nearly one million jobs, signaling broad recovery across agricultural activities.
Government spokesman Mustapha Baitas noted that areas planted with durum wheat, soft wheat, and barley now cover 3.9 million hectares, up 48% year-on-year. Land devoted to sugar crops, including sugar beet and sugarcane, rose 21% to 44,000 hectares, though 11,000 hectares were affected by recent flooding.
Baitas also highlighted direct state subsidies and support for livestock feed through subsidized fodder barley, measures aimed at rebuilding Morocco’s livestock population, which lost 38% of cattle and sheep since 2016 due to drought-induced pasture degradation and high feed costs. The shortage had forced the cancellation of the traditional sheep sacrifice for Eid al-Adha in February 2025.
Stronger agricultural output is expected to reduce import volumes and associated costs. Preliminary projections by the High Commission for Planning indicate national cereal production for the 2025/2026 season could exceed 8 million metric tons, nearly 80% higher than the previous year, and approaching the 10.3 million metric tons achieved in 2020/2021. In 2024, Morocco’s cereal import bill reached nearly 27 billion dirhams ($2.9 billion), accounting for 29% of total food import expenditure, according to the Office des Changes.
The agricultural sector contributes roughly 10% of Morocco’s gross domestic product and employs more than a third of the country’s active workforce, highlighting its central role in national economic stability and growth.
