Someone who goes shopping in a market of a Moroccan city might think, to see the supply of vegetables and fruits varied, abundant and accessible, which Morocco has a thriving agribusiness sector. It is true that, even in the presence of an appropriate infrastructure, a sustainable food industry is inconceivable without the availability of raw materials in the local environment. But it is clear that Morocco continues to export mainly fresh vegetables for he is not able to process the produce locally. However, the 28-07 food safety Act, recently entered into force, is dedicated largely to the control of industrially processed foods. This is indeed a very recent law. Before 2010, the regulation we had was consisting of texts of the authority of fighting against fraud, dated back to protectorate period, compiled to make the law 13-83. Given this archaic and repressive law (see article: The credibility of ONSSA / continuation), those who invested in the agro-food sector had to rely on strong support from the national political seraglio to sustain their activity. Ultimately, our vegetables and fruits are rarely processed and we are still obliged to export them as raw material abroad for peanuts. If we look more closely at industrial units of the first hour, which form the bulk of the members of FENAGRI (Fédération Nationale de l’Agroalimentaire) and FICOPAM (Fédaration des Industries de Conserves des Produits Agricoles du Maroc), we may make some remarks widely shared among them:
- Most of these Businesses don’t have a laboratory control unit within their companies
- The production of canned vegetables is mainly based on autoclaving
- These companies operate in their majority for the domestic market
Perspective
The lack of integrated laboratory in a Moroccan company is a direct consequence of the application of the old law 13-83 which placed the quality control of food products on shoulders of the authority of fighting against fraud. In other words, manufacturers could produce and sell without worrying about the quality of their products. The development logic of such an approach to work is the tendency to mediocrity, something that, for lack of alternative, the Moroccan consumer had to make do. For cons, the creation of the Autonomous Establishment of Control and Coordination of Exports (EACCE) was designed to ensure better quality of products intended for export, primarily to France. In this respect, while the technologies to process food are numerous, it is curious that our industry have mostly opted for the widespread sterilization of their products in an autoclave. The system is expensive in purchasing, consumes a lot of energy in addition to maintenance costs. For about 95% of Moroccan industrial units concerned, this is the same type of autoclave manufactured by a large French firm. It is not excluded that, in one way or another, Moroccan investors have been advised, in terms of equipment, with the ulterior motive to sell this type of equipment in particular. So to say, without any regard for the impact on the selling prices of the processed foods. In addition, sterilization is not an appropriate treatment for certain products (acidified) or a requirement of the law to market them internationally. The result is that by incorporating the energy in the cost, these products are far from being competitive, and as a result, it seems that everything has been done to curb the Moroccan ambitions to develop a competitive, so viable, agri-food industry.
Enactment of the law 28-07
In principle, foreign consumers who buy our products previously verified by EACCE are not more concerned about their health than the Moroccan consumer. Under these conditions, the 28-07 law came correct this anomaly indicating that food produced in Morocco must meet the same safety rules, whether they are for foreign markets or for sale in Moroccan local market. It sounds good and democratic. But, with the exception of some industrial units, mainly in the processing sector of fishery products, many professionals had no experience of how to perform quality control of food products. Indeed, they have been raised to believe that it was the Business of the authority of fighting against fraud.
Operators muddled
The Moroccan industrial understands he must implement control of products by himself according to the HACCP approach. For that purpose, he needs to be certified by a competent service provider. To this end, he must choose between a public body, namely the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and a foreign private organization such as SGS, VERITAS or another (see article: ONSSA’s Credibility). As for analysis, again food processing unit must choose between public laboratories on one hand and agencies of foreign allegiance like Pasteur Institute.
Perspective
Developing an analytical laboratory of food is very expensive and return on investment should be considered in the medium term. Apart from long-established organizations with the blessing of the Protectorate, which now have interests to protect, the private does not invest in this niche. First there is no visibility, and then there is no encouragement from the state for investing in this niche and not a willingness to guide operators to Moroccan private laboratories to perform analysis. So, in maintaining the stranglehold of public organisms and private foreign organizations on food testing and other certifications, it is as if the state was willing to nip in the bud any initiative to share responsibility for quality assurance with the Moroccan private sector. In these circumstances, how Morocco’s going to assist African countries wishing to be weaned from dependency towards their colonizers of yesterday?
Perhaps we must go back again by entrusting once more the operations of expertise for the same European organizations of yesterday. Morocco has to become itself really credible and begin to recover its sovereignty over the area of expertise. Otherwise anything he will say will be felt as propaganda and nothing more.
In conclusion, it should be recalled that the state is one and indivisible and because it cannot be judge and party, he must fully claim and assume the role of “controller / referee.” As a result, organizations within the state must move away from the certification of industrial units. Otherwise it’s indecent! The ONSSA must also stop the rumors like what he certifies industrial units. It should also clearly indicate on its website that any work done outside the provisions of the law, including the use without reason of foreign standards, shall be null and void.
