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Morocco's water resources threaten by cereals output |
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| MOROCCO: November 7, 2001 | ||
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MARRAKESH, Morocco - Water resources in Morocco are expected to shrink by up to 35 percent in the next 20 years, leading to a sharp fall in cereals output, an official said yesterday.
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Faouzi Senhaji of state-run National Agricultural Researches Institute (INRA) told Reuters: "This should result in a 10-50 percent fall in cereals output productivity per hectare depending on the regions where the cereals are cultivated." Senhaji was speaking in the southern city of Marrakesh on the sidelines of U.N. talks aimed at sealing a climate change treaty, known as the Kyoto Protocol, for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming. Morocco consumes an average six million tonnes of cereals each year. "By 2020, we will be 35 million (population), requiring 8.5 million tonnes of cereals for our national consumption," he added. Participants at the two-week conference, which started on October 29, were welcomed by a heatwave in a period which normally sees heavy rainfall. Morocco is seeking to ensure minimum cereals production of six million tonnes per year. But drought has hit output in the last two campaigns, resulting in total cereals output of 1.8 million and 4.5 million tonnes, respectively.
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REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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