Rabat forum mobilises national ecosystem to accelerate food industry decarbonisation in Morocco

The National Forum on Decarbonisation of the Food Industries, held Monday in Rabat by the National Federation of Agro-Food (FENAGRI), marks a pivotal step in forging a low-carbon pathway for a sector vital to Morocco’s economy.
Organised under the patronage of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, this forum convened leading public, private, financial, technical and institutional players committed to sustainable transformation of the food industry in Morocco.
The gathering represented a significant milestone in FENAGRI’s ongoing drive to support the low-carbon transition of Morocco’s food industries, amid rising energy costs, growing pressure on water resources, evolving international market demands and the gradual integration of climate criteria into value chains.
Food industries hold a strategic position in the national economy. The sector generates annual revenues of nearly 191 billion Moroccan dirhams, comprises around 2,600 companies across the country, sustains over 206,000 direct jobs, contributes 44 billion dirhams to exports and meets about 77% of domestic demand for processed food products.
This economic contribution comes with a major energy challenge. Food industries consume roughly 380,000 tonnes of oil equivalent per year, representing close to 20% of national industrial energy use. These figures underscore both the sector’s strategic weight and the importance of a gradual, structured decarbonisation trajectory tailored to the realities of each sub-sector.

In this context, FENAGRI, with support from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, launched a national study to shape a decarbonisation roadmap for the food industries by 2040.
The initiative aims to identify key emission sources, assess reduction levers, define possible transition pathways and propose operational conditions for implementation.
The forum shared initial findings from this effort and opened a structured dialogue with the entire ecosystem. Discussions revealed a strong consensus: decarbonisation of the food industries should not be seen solely as a regulatory or environmental obligation but as a driver of economic competitiveness, industrial modernisation, energy performance, market access and resilience for Moroccan companies.
“Decarbonisation of the food industries is no longer a tomorrow issue. It is a project for today. A project that directly affects the competitiveness of our companies, their energy performance, their access to markets, their investment capacity and their resilience in the face of new climate and economic demands,” said Mr. Abdelmounim El Eulj, President of FENAGRI.
The talks also highlighted the need for coordinated action among public authorities, industrialists, financial institutions, international partners, technical experts and professional federations.

Success of this transition will depend on building appropriate support mechanisms, facilitating access to green finance, strengthening companies’ technical expertise and fostering an integrated approach that ensures greater coherence between industrial, energy, environmental and water policies.
Special attention was paid to very small, small and medium-sized industrial enterprises (VSE-SMEs), which form an essential part of the national productive fabric. Supporting them will be crucial to achieving an inclusive, gradual and truly operational transition.
The exchanges underscored the need for accessible solutions, tailored diagnostics, bankable projects and funding schemes capable of meeting the realities of different food sub-sectors.
At the conclusion of the forum, FENAGRI reiterated its commitment to sustain this momentum over the long term. Next steps will include setting up a monitoring framework for the roadmap, organising workshops by sub-sector, strengthening dialogue with financial and technical partners, and supporting member companies in defining and implementing their own decarbonisation trajectories.