Le Matin du Sahara: Moroccan GDP depends less on agriculture

Some economic indicators show that the Moroccan GDP is decreasingly contingent upon agriculture, and that its resistance to weather changes is a "true trend," said the High Commissioner for Planning.

Ahmed Lahlimi said in an interview published, Monday, in the economic supplement of "Le Matin du Sahara" daily, statistics of his department forecast a sustained growth of 4.1% of sectors apart from agriculture, such as telecom, financial services.

Regretting the "particularly severe" effects of the weather conditions Morocco underwent this year, that would cause a fall of 15.2% of the agricultural GDP, Lahlimi heralded a good economic growth in 2005 thanks to sectors outside agriculture.

He said that, contrary to 1999, when a similar crop year pulled the GDP down to a negative performance, this year's growth will only fall to 1.2%.

According to Lahlimi, estimations show, despite everything, "positive tendencies in terms of reinforcing the economic tissue of the country."