King launches construction of argan-oil extraction unit in Agadir

Agadir, May 25 - King Mohammed VI laid on Thursday in Agadir (600km south of Rabat the foundation stone of the construction of an argan-oil extraction unit.

The USD 300,000 project is meant to improve the revenues of women and families living in underprivileged villages.

Built on 380 m², the unit will contribute in protecting the argan tree through promoting its products, providing literacy and training courses to women and developing wealth-generating activities in the rural world.

The project is part of the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) for the south-western region of Souss-Massa-Daraa region, which is allotted USD 115Mn to fight poverty and social exclusion in the region.

In 2006, INDH programs in the region were allotted USD 28Mn to improve human development indicators through poverty reduction, social integration, improving citizens’ life conditions and reinforcing good governance.

According to Regional Director of the Water and Forests Department, Abdelkrim Azenfar, some 1400 hectares of argan tree land are to be replanted with the endemic tree in Souss-Massa-Draa in 2006.

The tree almond-like nuts are processed into argan oil. The oil is edible, mingled to ground almonds and honey we obtain a peanut butter like paste. The tree nuts and leaves are feed for goats, mainly. The tree also provides firewood for local populations.

The Moroccans have been using for centuries the Argan oil as food as well as a beauty product, notably as an ointment for skin and hair. The oil is relatively rich in vitamin E and is antioxidant that can limit the appearance of wrinkles.

The Soussis and the Moroccans at large use it to remedy arthritis and for some decades it has been used to lower cholesterol rate and hence prevent heart diseases.

The Argan tree (argania spinosa) grows in a harsh environment, surviving heat, drought and poor soil. It is little known outside Morocco, and many Moroccans themselves have never heard of it because it grows only in the south-west of the country - roughly between Essaouira and Agadir, in an area covering 700,000-800,000 hectares.

But within the area where the Argan grows there are about 21 million trees, which play a vital role in the food chain and the environment, though their numbers are declining. The tree, which is thorny and can reach heights of 8-10 metres, probably originated in Argana, a village north-east of Agadir (off Route 40). It lives longer than the olive and requires no cultivation.

The production of Argan oil, which is still mostly done by traditional methods, is a lengthy process. Each nut has to be cracked open to remove the kernel, and it is said that producing one liter of oil takes 20 hours' work.

source MAP