Agriculture: A Dangerous Bacterium Threatens Morocco
Although Xylella Fastidiosa has not affected Morocco, the bacterium poses a great threat to 350 plant, tree, ornamental, and forest species in the Mediterranean region.
On Monday, February 20, the National Food Safety Authority (ONSSA) organized a study day in Rabat in collaboration with Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) under the title, “Xylella diseases, a very serious phytosanitary risk for the arboricultural sector in Morocco.”
This day is part of the regional technical cooperation project with FAO dedicated to strengthening national capacities to prevent the introduction and spread of Xylella Fastidiosa in North Africa and the Near East. It aims to inform and sensitize stakeholders on the phytosanitary risk linked to Xylella fastidiosa, the factors of its spread, and the danger that it poses for plant species.
The Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Mohammed Sadiki, presided over the official opening of the National Awareness Day on the bacterium Xylella Fastidiosa, in the presence of the FAO Representative in Morocco, Mr. Michael George Hage, Representative of the Moroccan Confederation of Agriculture and Rural Development (COMADER), Mr. Rachid Banali, and representatives of the professional organizations and heads of the Department of Agriculture.
Read the full article by Chaima Lahsini via Morocco World News.
[Photo by Sam Greenhalgh | Flickr]
