Search Results for: Moroccan

Spain, which in the early Middle Ages was part of Islamic state called Al-Andalus – remembered as a golden age of Spanish tolerance and reason – has finally started to seriously play to win in the global halal market, through tourism and exports.…

The food halal market for Portugal, a largely Christian country that was in the early Middle Ages part of the Muslim world, has been expanding, serving a growing local Muslim community and Muslim tourists keen to taste Portuguese food.

Between 711 and 1249, most of Portugal was under Muslim rule, which influenced its language and culture.…

Only a foolish person would deny the importance of culture and historical consciousness on the present behaviour of humankind, and that counts maybe double for the Arab world, where citizens often view society through a more ideological or religious lens than – say – in the west.…

The Moroccan garment manufacturing industry is targeting market diversification in the UK as one way of recovering from Covid-19.

Clothing makers in thus key European near-sourcing hub are still struggling with the impact of the pandemic, with general secretary of the Moroccan Textile and Garment Industry (AMITH) Fatima-Zora Alaoui highlighting to Just Style the postponement of its production showcase Maroc in Mode, which had been scheduled for October, until March 2022.…

INTRODUCTION

In a global textile and clothing market that is increasingly integrating design with functionality, the potential of luminescent yarns is becoming ever more apparent. The focus of groundbreaking research and development, there is widening diversity in this segment from luminescent coatings on yarns to those that integrate LEDs (light-emitting diodes).…

“Yes, to coexistence.” It sounds like a platitude – yet sometimes, it is simply a statement describing a most important principle of real life. This statement is written on the entrance of the Max Rayne Hand in Hand School in Jerusalem, that teaches Jews and Arab students side-by-side.…

INTRODUCTION

NEW technology can deliver effective maintenance strategies to clothing and textile manufacturers, helping them go beyond reactive and proactive maintenance, moving into the more sophisticated world of prediction. The goal is to deliver an optimum maintenance strategy that enables manufacturers to get the most value out of their plant and equipment by spending the least amount of time, resources and money to deliver effective performance.…

LUXEMBOURG may be a small country, but it is big in dairy, especially milk – with its other main products cheese, butter, butteroil and cream. Growth in the dairy sector of this Grand Duchy, similar in size to the UK country of Dorset and slightly smaller than the US state of Rhode Island, is continuing – even during the market disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit.…

Denim companies in Tunisia are pushing forward to create a sustainable circular economy segment, making high quality jeans from recycled fabrics.

The work is being encouraged by a European Union (EU) funded regional resource efficiency initiative called SwitchMed, which is led by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).…

The international gold trade is worth over USD6 trillion a year, according to the World Gold Council (WGC), but oversight of the supply chain is considered weak by many critics, relying on self-regulation, making it vulnerable to money laundering.

Gold remains scarce and hence valuable: from antiquity until 2019, just 197,576 tonnes has been mined – equivalent to a 21.7 metre cube, according to the World Gold Council.…

Euromed University Fez, in Morocco, has been chosen as the regional academic partner to launch what is hoped to be a revolutionary agritech development hub aimed at transforming Moroccan small-scale subsistence farming into fully digitalised and innovative agri-food businesses.

The university – also called Université Euromed de Fès (UEMF) and based in the country’s second largest city – will help farmers to create an industry exporting quality products overseas, alleviating rural poverty and using farming techniques that counter ecological challenges.…

When Fatima Alaouia-Zohra stepped up to become the first female director-general of Morocco’s textile and clothing industry association AMITH last September (2019), she was ready to lead this important near-sourcing manufacturing hub through a process of massive change.

Little did she know that within months she would also be facing the gargantuan challenge of steering the industry through the Covid-19 global crisis, a pandemic that while hugely disruptive, creates opportunities for Moroccan clothing and textile makers.…

Morocco’s clothing manufacturing sector has pivoted to making medical supplies to cope with the flood of cancelled orders from hard hit European customers that marked the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic – developing textile backward linkages that could strengthen the industry for the future.…

THE EUROPEAN Commission has unveiled measures to help food and drink manufacturers and their suppliers cope with the Covid-19 crisis. It has, for instance announced that dairy (skimmed milk powder, butter and cheese), and meat (beef, sheep and goat meat) producers will be paid ‘private storage aid’ to warehouse such products for between two and six months to reduce current excessive supplies.…

Paint and coating manufacturers and retailers in North Africa have been struggling with the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus, just as have their counterparts in other regions, however some markets and industries in the region seem better placed to cope with the pandemic’s economic impact than others.…

Big four accountancy firm, EY (formerly known as Ernst & Young) is to pay more than USD11 million in damages to a former partner that blew the whistle on the company’s collusion in covering up money laundering by a Dubai-based client Kaloti Jewellery International.…

AFRICA is commonly hailed as the world’s next big focus of economic growth, but for the civil aviation industry, this prospect will require significant investment in new intra-African routes and related airport and ATC infrastructure. It will also require governments to remove immigration barriers preventing African air travellers flying to other countries on their home continent.…

NORTH Africa is a region where care for appearance, grooming and personal hygiene is integral to its cultural DNA, so while personal care product majors have a strong presence, it is maybe no surprise that local beauty manufacturers continue to bubble up with fresh ideas and products that capture the imagination of consumers.…

Morocco’s textile and garment industry is undergoing an intense process of development to better meet today’s business challenges and the intense competition within the crowded international garment production sector.  With a mere 10 kilometres of Strait of Gibraltar seawater between Morocco’s key port Tanger-Med and Spain, Morocco should be a natural choice to lead in short ordering and fast fashion for European markets, however things are never just that simple.…

African garment and textile manufacturers are trying to create more synergy to better integrate the supply chain within the continent, but North African producers still dominate, and are expanding capacity, particularly in Egypt, say participants at a major regional industry meeting.…

African manufacturers are trying to integrate sustainability in their textile and fashion supply chains as retailers demand compliance with increasingly high standards fuelled by consumer pressure. But to do so, manufacturers are asking for assistance from international organisations to implement change.…

A FORMER EY auditor has launched a legal case claiming he was forced from the international accounting network, having alleged that a Dubai audit client was involved in a major precious metal money laundering scam.

Amjad Rihan, represented by London law firm Leigh Day, will claim in a case scheduled to begin in January that he had flagged concerns Kaloti Jewellery International had handled billions of dollars’ worth of cash transactions; imported gold from Moroccan suppliers painted with silver to avoid gold export restrictions; and handled transactions with high-risk countries such as Sudan and Iran without proper due diligence.…

MOROCCO’S clothing and textile industry association is optimistic about growth in the country’s apparel sector, with fast fashion sales to Europe driving expansion. Mohamed Tazi, general director of Morocco’s clothing and textile industry association AMITH (Association Marocaine des Industries du Textile et de l’Habillement) told just-style he is satisfied with the results of the sector regarding production and exports.…

NORTH Africa offers personal care product majors populous markets, close to European manufacturing centres, with large and growing middle classes (outside troubled Libya) – but trading in these countries is not without complication. Regulatory shifts, counterfeiting and some security concerns make these useful markets a challenge for brands to tap.…

AFRICAN garment and textile manufacturers have a long way to go to increase capacity, develop the supply chain and diversify overall production away from North Africa, an industry conference staged in Cairo has been told. But while north Africa accounts for more than USD10 billion out the continent’s USD13.54 billion in clothing and textile exports (during 2016, according to international trade data), the much discussed potential of Africa as the world’s next sourcing hub is starting to materialise.…

AFRICAN garment and textile manufacturers have a long way to go to increase capacity, develop the supply chain and diversify overall production away from North Africa, an industry conference staged in Cairo has been told. But while north Africa accounts for more than USD10 billion out the continent’s USD13.54 billion in clothing and textile exports (during 2016, according to international trade data), the much discussed potential of Africa as the world’s next sourcing hub is starting to materialise.…

DIGITAL production technologies could help African manufacturers pick up business lost by Chinese rivals because of the trade war in the USA, with brands looking to take advantage of the free trade agreements that many African countries have with the USA and Europe.…

SOLAR energy in Africa ought to be a no brainer. The continent has lot of sun, and weak electricity supplies, especially in the Sahel and sub-Saharan Africa. And yet, climate finance that has developed since the Paris climate change agreement of 2015, that could help grow green energy in this sunny continent, has not focused on Africa.…

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) paint and coating sector will be keeping a close eye on plans to craft a new EUR94.1 billion Horizon Europe research and development programme operating from 2021 to 2027. These major EU research budgets fund innovation in the sector involving companies from different countries within the EU – proposed industry and natural resources priority spending sections in the 2021-27 programme may especially promote paint and coating studies.…

THE INTERNATIONAL Cocoa Organisation (ICCO) has released an ambitious policy plan designed to steer the industry towards sustainability. Called the Berlin Declaration, having been released at the fourth World Cocoa Conference, of governments, farmers, traders, grinders, processors, manufacturers, researchers, trade unions, civil society organisations, trade unions, consumer organisations, it says higher farm gate prices should be paid.…

NORTH Africa is never an easy market in which to do business, and the Arab Spring and its turbulent aftermath has not helped ease trade, but as the paint industry looks to 2018, there is optimism that profits can be made.…

PROTECTIONISM and currency problems are posing challenges for north Africa’s beauty and personal care market, often forcing consumers to change their purchasing behaviour and turn to locally manufactured products, when they are available.

In Egypt, the region’s most populous country, the fall in value of the local currency, the Egyptian pound, against the Euro, has helped increase the price of imported products.…

Morocco’s Fez airport (Fès–Saïs Airport) has opened a new terminal, being inaugurated last May (2017) by King Mohammed VI, enabling it to increase its capacity to 2.5 million passengers per year. The number of passengers passing through the airport has more than tripled in less than 10 years, from 228,399 passengers in 2006 to 892,974 in 2016, so the expansion will allow the airport to manage growing volumes for years to come.…

Saudi Arabia’s efforts to liberalise its society and economy are positively affecting the local beauty market. Ever since the global plunge in oil prices that led to the shrinking of the state’s budget, the kingdom’s government has embarked upon major economic reform.…

In a socially-reserved country such as Saudi Arabia where entertainment options are mostly limited to shopping and cafes – the opening of spas and beauty salons offer another avenue for leisure and recreation.

According to market research company Euromonitor International, Saudi Arabia’s spa market was valued at Saudi Arabian Riyals SAR275 million (USD73.3 million) in 2017, growing by 7% over 2016.…

India’s Ready Roti, makers of Harvest Gold bread, is planning a major expansion with new products following a 65% stake sale to Mexico’s Grupo Bimbo. Rajan Makani, deputy general manager, brands, for Ready Roti in New Delhi told just-food that the deal “will be beneficial for Indian consumers”, with the tie up sparking the launch of “many new products”. …

MOROCCO is blessed with an ideal geographical position to develop a Europe-focused export-based dairy sector although its proximity to Spain – just 14 km of the Straits of Gibraltar separates the two – means this emerging market is a key focus of European exporters.…

ISRAEL’S booming natural and organic cosmetics sector has grown largely because of its focus on scoring international sales and manufacturers have in the past shown less interest in increasing the local market base. But this strategy has been changing significantly of late. …

MOROCCO is becoming an increasingly attractive destination for African students seeking to study abroad, and is now their second most popular destination on the continent, following South Africa. According to the latest statistics published by Morocco’s ministry of higher education, training and research, more than 18,000 African foreign students are currently enrolled in higher institutions in Morocco.…

IF the Arab Spring has often disappointed in political terms, leading more to armed conflict, oppression and chaos than civic democracy, it is undeniable that citizens in north Africa at least have often been able to indulge more personal freedom. This is well illustrated by women’s smoking habits, with more women choosing to smoke openly – and whatever the health risks, it is clear that women themselves are making the choice to smoke, a sign of social change in one of the world’s most conservative regions.…

NORTH Africa has never been a particular easy place to do business, but female and male consumers are prepared to spend on personal care products, and profits are there for the taking for companies that take time to understand these vibrant and often contrasting markets.…

Saudi Arabia’s economy has been going through tough times ever since oil prices started tumbling in late 2014. Only a few market segments have withstood the effects of the latest downturn – men’s grooming being one of them. Overall, the male grooming market in the kingdom registered a minor value decline of 0.4% in 2016 compared to 2015, reaching Saudi Arabian SAR2 billion (USD533.2 million), according to research company Euromonitor International.…

Traditional Moroccan soap has a good market among American consumers. New York–based cosmetics company Kahina Giving Beauty launched its Morocco-manufactured ‘Moroccan beldi’ in January 2016 driven by a demand for traditional Moroccan soaps in the USA. Kahina Giving Beauty founder Katharine (NOTE – SPELLING IS CORRECT – TWO ‘A’s IN NAME) L’Heureux, told Cosmetics Business Markets.…

The Moroccan bath and shower products market grew by 8% in 2015, with a sales value of Moroccan Dirham MAD868 million (USD86.1 million) according to UK-based market research company, Euromonitor International, while the highest growth rate was reached by intimate washes with 12%.…

The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) spa market experienced healthy growth in 2015 compared to 2014, increasing 11% in value terms to reach Emirati Dirham AED1.57 billion (USD428 million), according to market research company Euromonitor International.

In 2016, the market is predicted to grow by 9% to hit USD435 million year-on-year, accounting for nearly 14% of the Middle East and Africa’s USD3 billion spa market, according to Euromonitor.…

MOROCCO has avoided the chaos suffered by many other Arab countries as a result of the Arab Spring, but while has been tightening its anti-money laundering and combatting the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) measures, experts say significant reforms are still required.…

The recent start of commercial operations at concentrating solar power (CSP) plants in Africa illustrates the potential for utility-scale CSP to capture an increasing share in the world’s power generation mix.

These plants include the 160 megawatt (MW) Noor 1 in southern Morocco, the foundation of what may become the world’s largest CSP generation site, and the 50MW Khi Solar One in South Africa.…

INCREASING demands on the part of European Union (EU) textile buyers for compliance with environmentally sustainable standards have inspired a major project launched by Moroccan trade groups into improving the practices of the country’s denim industry.

This is called the Moroccan Denim Cluster (MDC), founded in 2014 as an industry association for this segment.…

THE ARAB Spring has certainly been a mixed blessing for North Africa, with political instability as common as progress towards democratisation, and the region’s paint sector has not been insulated from these changes. Sales have swung up and down, with North Africa’s economies performing unevenly as the Arab Spring’s political changes shake out.…

THE STABLE north African kingdom of Morocco is pushing ahead with plans to grow its automotive manufacturing industry, creating a lower-cost hub for supplying nearby wealthy European markets. Indeed, with the Strait of Gibraltar crossing between Morocco and Spain being just over eight miles wide, the Morocco government’s 2014-2020 industrial acceleration policy is clear – it wants to grow its auto sector fast.…

Considered a key player within the cosmetics market in north Africa, Morocco’s colour cosmetics sales holds a market estimated between MAD800 million (Moroccan dirhams) and MAD1 billion (between USD81 and USD102 million). This is according to London-based market research firm Euromonitor International’s Moroccan marketing analyst Houda Bennani.…

China’s new found taste for olive oil is growing, opening up new sales channels for olive oil producing countries and Morocco is one potential beneficiary. Morocco is the fourth largest exporter of olive oil and olives after the European Union (EU), Turkey and Tunisia, currently producing between 100,000 and 120,000 tonnes per year of which 25,000 tonnes are exported.”…

Although Morocco’s garment production industry is well established, supplying giants such as Inditex, it is investing in capacity to compete with Asian rivals and new African competition, such as from Ethiopia and Mauritius.
As part of the 2014-2020 Accelerated Industrial Plan, the Moroccan government has assigned Moroccan Dirham MAD3 billion (USD304 million) for grants between these years for industrial small-and-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) with established supply chains and sales networks.…

THE MOROCCO government is negotiating a strategic industrial partnership with China that could see Chinese investment flow into the Moroccan clothing and textile manufacturing industry. Morocco’s minister of industry, trade, investment and digital economy Moulay Hafid Elalamy is coordinating the Moroccan side in the talks.…

North Africa’s entire paints and coatings market is valued at about USD1.1 billion on approximately 0.5 billion litres of coatings, according to the International Paint and Printing Inks Council (IPPIC). Of this, nearly 60% of the market value and more than 75% of market volume is comprised of decorative paints and coatings, according to data collected for the IPPIC by US-based Orr & Boss Inc.…

TOILETRIES sales in the Arab Gulf countries remain robust, an oasis of economic and political stability in a turbulent Middle East. Elsewhere in the region, the ongoing conflicts in Syria and Iraq, and the rise of the Islamic State, has seen toiletries sales plummet.…

THE MIDDLE East cosmetics market is weathering the region’s current political and economic instability in the region. While the markets in the Levant are experiencing tough times, Gulf sales continue to grow. Retailers and manufacturers are also offsetting the losses incurred in depressed and unstable countries by exporting to burgeoning African markets.…

The Moroccan government has launched an investigation that could spark its imposition of temporary safeguard duties or quotas on imports of cold-rolled steel sheets and plated or coated sheets. Rabat has informed the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) safeguards committee of its plans, which will allow fellow member countries to comment.…

THE NORTH African paint market has yet to rebound from the political and economic unrest in Libya, Tunisia and Egypt over the past three years. Demand remains sluggish compared to 2010, with many projects and government tenders on hold.

In Egypt, the 180 million litre paint market, valued at USD275 million, said Yasser Hassan, marketing and national retail sales manager, decorative department, at Jotun Paints in Cairo, dropped 10% in 2011 following the uprising against President Hosni Mubarak.…

THE MOROCCO clothing and textile industry has called on its government to work with the sector to boost exports after the release of figures showing production fell in 2013 compared to 2012. The country’s foreign exchange department (l’Office des Changes) said that the sector’s exports fell from Moroccan Dirham MAD28.2 billion (USD3.4 billion) to MAD26.3 billion (USD3.2 billion) last year.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

AS the electronic communications sector becomes ever more complex – with telcos adding Internet and content-based services to their voice and text – providing customer care can be increasingly demanding.

It can be expensive and unwieldy when care is delivered through traditional call centre models: major telcos can easily employ 15,000 people to help users deal with technical, operational and billing problems.…

AS the electronic communications sector becomes ever more complex – with telcos adding Internet and content-based services to their voice and text – providing customer care can be increasingly demanding.

It can be expensive and unwieldy when care is delivered through traditional call centre models: major telcos can easily employ 15,000 people to help users deal with technical, operational and billing problems.…

TWO of the world’s largest fertilizer suppliers will face investment cuts after Sweden’s four largest national pension funds decided to sell their holdings over purchases of phosphate rock in the disputed Western Sahara region.

The decision to sell stock in Canada-based PotashCorp and Australia-based mining company Incitec Pivot came on the recommendation of the funds’ joint Ethical Council, which keeps tabs on allegations of environmental and human rights violations among the portfolios of the A1, A2, A3 and A4 funds.…

THE EUROPEAN Parliament has now formally approved a new European Union (EU) offshore oil and gas drilling directive, designed to prevent accidents such as the Deepwater Horizon spill happening in coastal EU sea waters.

These new rules will require oil and gas firms to prove they can cover potential liabilities from accidents and submit major hazard reports and emergency response plans to regulators before drilling operations start.…

A EUROPEAN Union (EU)-funded research project has been researching the pharmaceutical applications of active ingredients extracted from herbs and aromatic plants found in Morocco. The Euro EUR442,000 MAP2ERA project has been coordinated by Morocco’s Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah University, working with the Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles (ICSN) in France, Spain’s University of Alicante and Giraf PM, a German project management company.…

A PLANNED deepening of trade relations between the European Union (EU) and Morocco should streamline customs procedures for the EU clothing and textile industry, whether importing or exporting products from this key north African trading partner, the European Apparel and Textile Confederation (Euratex) has told just-style.com.…

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) and Moroccan medicine manufacturing sector could prosper through a new trade agreement now being negotiated between the EU and Morocco. The EU imported just Euro EUR17 million’s worth of pharmaceuticals from Morocco in 2012, while Morocco imported EUR330 million’s worth of EU-made medicines that year.…

THE EUROPEAN Union’s (EU) cosmetics sector could prosper by a new trade agreement now being negotiated between the EU and Morocco. The EU imported just USD30.6 million’s worth of cosmetics and perfumes from Morocco in 2011, while Morocco imported USD173.2 million’s worth of EU-made cosmetics and perfumes that year.…

THE MOROCCAN Society of Tobacco (formerly Imperial Tobacco Maroc) has welcomed the launch of negotiations between the European Union (EU) and Morocco to forge a so-called ‘deep and comprehensive free trade agreement’ (DCFTA) between them. The deal would remove trade regulations and harmonise industrial standards, noted Ghassan Khaber, communications and institutional relations manager at the north African country’s dominant tobacco manufacturer.…

THE ARAB Spring may have increased short-term doubts about the political stability of Europe’s southern and eastern Mediterranean neighbours, but the long-term case for energy cooperation between these regions is surely unarguable.

Europe needs more energy than it can generate, and it has (for the time being at least) money to buy energy from north Africa and the Levant.…

BY PACIFICA GODDARD

10 SEPTEMBER 2012

MOROCCO, Tunisia, and Egypt – respectively the sixth, seventh and sixteenth largest exporters of knitwear to the European Union’s 27 member states, as measured by sales value – have traditionally been competitive knitwear producers and exporters.…

BY KACI RACELMA

WHILE the majority of north African paint and coatings markets have been disrupted by the wave of political and economic unrest brought on by the ongoing Arab Spring revolution, relatively stable Morocco has generated modest growth.

The country’s paint companies predict an increase in domestic paints and coatings production and sales in 2012, following sluggish sales since the international financial crisis hit in 2008.…

BY KACI RACELMA, IN TIZI OUZOU, ALGERIA

A TERRORIST attack on March 3 targeted the local headquarters of Algeria’s national rural police force ‘El Dark El Watani’ (in the southern Algerian border town of Tamanrasset with a booby-trapped car, leaving 23 people wounded.…

BY MEGAN DETRIE and KACI RACELMA

THE IMPACT of the Arab Spring revolution has rattled though North Africa, leaving no economic sector unscathed – including the personal care products industry. Despite the fact that the growth of the cosmetics markets in countries like Tunisia, Egypt and Libya remains limited in lieu of the year of demonstrations and political upheaval, efforts are currently being made to boost the industry.…

BY KACI RACELMA

THE MOROCCAN textile and clothing industry has been recovering energetically from the 2009 recession, with North Africa’s recent political turmoil yet to significantly impact on its fortunes, although it has prompted concerns in the industry.

Exports to Europe are of critical importance to Morocco’s clothing manufacturers, with the government and industry groups combining efforts to improve standards, promote sales abroad and create a nascent design hub for the sector within this north African kingdom.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE, BY VÉRONIQUE NARAME AND BY SEYDOU TRAORÉ

North Africa’s tobacco market opens to the world

North Africa’s tobacco markets have long been dominated by state-run companies and monopolies. But change has slowly come to the region through increased economic liberalisation, enabling international brands to gain market share.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL, MJ DESCHAMPS, PAUL COCHRANE

MOROCCO is perfectly placed to be a major bio-based oils and fats exporter to Europe. It is of course very close – being separated from Spain by only nine miles of sea. And with its agriculture fed by plentiful sunshine and its rich fishing grounds, Morocco has huge potential to become a major oil and fat feedstock producer as well as an oils and fats manufacturer in its own right though its developed industrial sector.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE

IT has been a tough last few years for north African knitwear, clothing and textile manufacturers, but the signs are that the knitwear sub-sector is outperforming its woven textile partners. With the European Union (EU) the region’s primary export destination, the region’s manufacturers have been hit by the end of restrictive quotas on imports from China in 2008, and then by the impact of the global financial crisis when demand slumped.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL, ANCA GURZU and DAVID HAWORTH

THE CONFECTIONERY manufacturing sector in the European Union (EU) has a new political boss in the shape of Romania’s Dacian Ciolo?, who became the EU’s latest agriculture Commissioner on February 10. Appointed amidst pledges he would be willing to use EU money to guarantee food production, he has promised to undertake a swift review of the EU’s reformed sugar regime.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A YEAR of struggle would be the best way to sum up 2009 as far as the global clothing and textile industry is concerned. The depth and severity of the worldwide recession left many clothing and textile companies reeling, even impacting upon China, which had previously been dominating global markets.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE POWER of photographs to inspire sustainable development has been highlighted in a UN Development Programme (UNDP) contest. The ‘Picture This: Caring for the Earth’ competition, organised with the Olympus Corporation and the Agence France-Presse (AFP) was designed to show how "ordinary people work to preserve the environment and reduce the effects of climate change in their communities", said a UNDP note.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE

MOROCCO’S 150,000 tonnes per year decorative paint market, worth Moroccan Dirham (MAD) 2 billion (GBPounds 157.4 million), grew by an estimated 5 to 8% in 2008, but plunged by 30% in December in the wake of the financial crisis, according to paint manufacturer Hempel Morocco (NOTE – SPELLING IS CORRECT).…

BY LIZ HALL, in Alicante

SPAIN is no stranger to the threat of terrorism. For decades its soil has been the scene of terrorism at the hands of Basque independence group ETA. Increasingly, however, the threat from ETA appears to being outweighed by that of terrorist activity from Islamic extremists.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE, in Tripoli and Beirut

THE MARKET for cosmetics and toiletries in North Africa has been growing annually by a steady 5-6% over the last five years according to market participants and official data. Overall market value for the five countries – Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco – combined is more difficult to come by due to a dearth of data, but reasonable estimates put it slightly above US$1 billion, less than half the value of the Middle East and Gulf markets.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

AFLATOXINS have been reported in a range of nuts in the European Union (EU) says European Commission food health alert service RASFF. Contamination was discovered in Iranian, Vietnamese and Turkish pistachios; Brazilian peanuts; Sudanese groundnuts; Moroccan almonds; and Turkish hazelnuts.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE

MOROCCO’S US$1.37 billion tobacco market is undergoing a transformation following Altadis’ full buyout of the country’s tobacco monopoly earlier this year, with the distribution process to be overhauled and leaf production increased and diversified away from dark tobacco.…

BY MARK ROWE AND PAUL COCHRANE

INTRODUCTION

JUST as chocolate sells well in cold countries, so do soft drinks flourish in hot countries, which would suggest that North Africa and the Levant presents an inviting face to the international drinks market.…

BY MARK ROWE AND PAUL COCHRANE

INTRODUCTION

JUST as chocolate sells well in cold countries, so do soft drinks flourish in hot countries, which would suggest that North Africa and the Levant presents an inviting face to the international drinks market.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission has struck a key fishing agreement with Morocco, allowing EU fishermen to supply the EU with Moroccan fish from March 2006-2010, covering 60,000 tons annual catches of small coastal species, such as sardines and anchovies.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE US government has released further details of its free trade agreement with Morocco. Processed poultry will gain immediate duty free access to Morocco, while lower tariff quotas have been opened for US fresh beef and poultry, to be expanded in the next few years.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE USA and Morocco have struck a free trade deal that will swiftly remove all Moroccan import duties on American pistachios and pecans, and within five years, on walnuts and cherries. The US will phase out tariffs on all Moroccan food exports, mostly within 15 years.…

Keith Nuthall
THE MOROCCAN government has informed the World Trade Organisation of how it will implement the third stage of its commitments to scrap or widen import tariffs under the WTO’s Agreement on Textile and Clothing.

60 words…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
GOVERNMENT representatives are to meet at Marrakesh, Morocco, from October 29 to November 9 to add detail to the Kyoto Protocol global warming deal struck this summer in Bonn between all major industrialised nations excluding America. The Moroccan meeting should allow delegates to agree procedures and institutions needed to make the protocol fully operational.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission and Morocco have failed to strike an agreement which would allow Spanish and Portuguese fishing boats to take catches in Moroccan waters, bringing to an unsuccessful end six months of detailed discussions. The result is that the previous agreement, which expired in 1999, and which allowed 500 European boats to exploit catches including tuna and shrimp, is not expected to be renewed.…