Morocco and FAO sign technical assistance agreement in handicraft

Morocco and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) signed here on Monday an agreement under which the international organization would bring its technical assistance to a Moroccan pilot regional program for the development of handicraft and consolidate handicraft chambers.

The agreement comprises two actions: a $ 189,00 technical cooperation program, totally financed by the FAO consisting of assessing the sector in two chambers out of Morocco's 24 handicraft chambers. The second action, to be financed by Morocco, consists in implementing measures recommended after the diagnosis.

The agreement was initialed by secretary of state in charge of handicraft, Hassan Maaouni, and the UN system acting resident-coordinator, Bouna Semou Diouf.

The Moroccan official stressed the role of handicraft, which is an essential employer in rural areas. With 10% of the GDP, the sector offers jobs to some 2 million persons.