Morocco to launch $213m agricultural project in Western Sahara

A Saharawi man holds up a Polisario Front flag near Moroccan soldiers guarding the wall separating the Polisario controlled Western Sahara from Morocco. [STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images]

Morocco is seeking to attract investors for an agricultural project worth $213 million in the disputed Western Sahara region, where its cultivated land is irrigated through a wind-powered desalting plant.

According to a tender issued by the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture on Friday, the project’s goal is to convert 52 square kilometres of unused land near the city of Dakhla into farms for fruits, vegetables and fodder.

The state will finance 77 per cent of the project as part of a $7 billion development plan launched by Morocco in 2015 to develop infrastructure in the Western Sahara region, including establishing a port in Dakhla for $1 billion.

Morocco considers Western Sahara part of its territory, while the Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, seeks to achieve independence for the region.

Last year, a wind-powered desalting plant establishment was approved as part of a broader series of projects aiming to address water shortages that are damaging Morocco’s agricultural production.

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