Economy

The harvest and extraction of olive oil is one of the important economic activities in the province of Taounate given the high added value of this sector which constitutes a significant source of income for many residents and farmers. of the region.

Olive growing contributes during this time of the year to the revival of economic and commercial activity in the province, which is considered among the most important olive-growing regions nationally, with an area of ​​approximately 150,000 hectares of olive trees. , or 83% of the total area of ​​fruit trees in Taounate. Among the factors that contribute to the development of this sector in the province are the abundance of water resources, the climatic and natural conditions conducive to the cultivation of olive trees and the great experience accumulated by farmers in the field of planting and maintenance of olive trees.

The olive sector, which presents numerous health and nutritional advantages and contributes to the average annual production of 200,000 tonnes, has benefited from several programs and projects aimed in particular at its valorization and increase in its productivity.
These measures are part, according to data from the provincial directorate of agriculture in Taounate, within the framework of the “Green Morocco” strategy, the “Green Morocco for Solidarity Agriculture” program, the “Millennium Challenge Account” and of the “investment support program under the Agricultural Development Fund”. These projects enabled the planting of approximately 35,000 hectares of olive trees, the construction and equipment of 3 olive crushing units with a capacity of 80 tonnes per day each, the equipment of a crushing unit of a capacity of 40 tonnes per day, in addition to the creation of a production unit for preserved olives.