Rwanda and Morocco have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on poultry farming top share best practices and experiences in poultry farming through technical assistance, an official statement issued Thursday in Kigali confirmed.
Rwanda’s minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Gérardine Mukeshimana said the deal stems from the importance accorded by the two countries to bilateral cooperation in the field of agriculture, which has seen a turning point since the launch of the agricultural partnership program between Morocco and Rwanda during King Mohammed VI’s visit to Kigali in 2016.
The agreement was endorsed by Mohamed Youssef Alaoui, President of the Moroccan Federation of the Poultry Industry Federation (FISA) and Andrew Butare, President of the Rwandan Poultry Industry Association (RPIA) in the presence of the Rwandan minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Gerardine Mukeshimana, and Moroccan Ambassador Youssef Imani.
Under the agreement, which was signed on the sidelines of the 2nd Poultry Africa 2019 International Poultry Show, both parties agreed to exchange good practices and capacity building in the area of poultry farming, the statement said,
Morocco emphasises to share its experience and know-how with its African partners, also places the development of cooperation with African countries at the heart of its concerns, it said.
“If the consumption of meat from poultry in Morocco is close to an annual average of 20 kg per inhabitant, it is around 2 kg in Africa,” said Mr. Aloui reaffirming the willingness of Morocco to share its progress and its expertise with Rwanda and other African partners.
On the other hand, the official said that the Moroccan training center for the development of animal sectors, the Zoopole of Aïn Jemâa in Casablanca, has trained more than 500 African livestock farmers and professionals since its inauguration in 2015 by King Mohammed VI.
Rwanda could benefit from this capacity building programme under the terms of the new agreement, it said.
Currently, the center which was initiated by the Morocco’s ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Waters and Forests, has provided more than 15,000 training days in professions related to the dairy, red meat and poultry sectors from across Africa.
Commenting on these efforts, the President of the Rwandan Poultry Industry Association welcomed the signing of the MoU, expressing his country’s willingness to benefit from the kingdom’s rich experience in poultry farming. .
The agricultural partnership program between Morocco and Rwanda, based on the convergence of the kingdom’s experience with the potential of Kigali, aims to promote technical cooperation in the fields of hydraulic infrastructure for irrigation but also animal health, it said.
CU/as/APA