Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests Aziz Akhannouch chaired a meeting, on Friday, held by videoconference, with the Secretaries General of the Departments of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Forests, regional and provincial directors, directors of organizations under the ministry as well as with the delegates of Fisheries, said a press release from the department.

This meeting was devoted to the launch of another phase of reinforced dynamization of the activities of the sectors of agriculture and fisheries in the context of the management of Covid-19 health crisis, added the press release, stressing that these sectors did not experience any interruption in their activities and ensured regular supply to the market.

Thus, the meeting was the opportunity to present and discuss the adaptation of the protocol of conduct to this new phase by strictly respecting health measures while allowing optimal activity.

According to the press release, this protocol includes two parts which have been the subject of five circulars. These two stages concern, on the one hand, all professionals and operators in the agricultural and fisheries sectors. It concerns the procedures to be adopted at the level of agricultural holdings, upgrading, conditioning and processing units for agricultural products, units for the processing and upgrading of fishery products, industrial units for canned fish and all supply chain of the two sectors including staff transport.

The second stage involves the administrative services of the Departments of Agriculture and Fisheries, both central and decentralized ones including regional and provincial ones and all the supervising establishments, as well as the interfaces with professionals and visitors.

It notes that, while respecting the strict application of measures, the administrative services must adapt the tools necessary to maintain their performance.

The circulars accompanied by illustrated procedure guides have been published and distributed to the parties concerned with the aim of establishing a structured working environment ensuring the safety and health of all, the press release said.

In addition, posters highlighting clear procedures and recalling the general principles of prevention against Covid-19 are also displayed in all work places at all levels (farms, fishing boats, wholesale fish markets, production and processing units, administration and external services…), added the ministry.

It concluded by saying that all the services of the various departments of the ministry, in perfect coordination with partners and professionals from the agricultural and fishery sectors, remain mobilized to ensure the continuity of activity and the normal and regular supply of the national market with agricultural, food and fishery products while adapting to this new phase of the situation imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.