RF agricultural machinery producers interested in Moroccan market

RABAT -- The market of Morocco is interesting for Russian companies producing agricultural equipment, the director general of the Russian Rosagromash association of agricultural machinery producers told Tass on Thursday.

The director general, Yevgeny Korchevoy, takes part in the seventh international agricultural exhibition SIAM 2012 in the Moroccan city of Meknes. "We have learned a lot of new things about Morocco and understood that we were not mistaken in our choice of the country that we must pay attention at," he said.

"We have correctly chosen the venue and the time," Korchevoy continued. "The Moroccan market is opening. It was closed for some time as mostly European equipment was sold there, but now there are no restrictions for supplies of machinery from abroad, including from Russia," he added.

He said one can clearly see at the moment Moroccan authorities' bid to develop the agricultural sector. "And this means that incomes of local farmers will grow and hardware will be purchased, as Moroccans themselves admit that they experience shortage of hardware and investments," the director general said.

"The Moroccan market is also interesting for us because it is big and lucrative for Russian hardware, and in its scope it can be compared with the market of (Russia's southern region of) Kuban," the head of Rosagromash said.

"The advantages of Russian companies are in advantageous prices and an excellent quality of equipment, which is much better than equipment from China, India and Turkey. We have a big variety of products for cultivation, irrigation, fodder conservation etc.," he stressed.

However, he admitted that "entering a new market is not a matter of one year, and this systematic process may take up to three years before it will be possible to speak about some concrete results, figures and amounts".

The Russian delegation in Morocco consists of 25 people - heads of major Russian corporations presenting about 70 percent of Russia's agricultural hardware production. They have met with the leadership of the ministries for agriculture and fisheries, as well as industry, trade and new technologies.

"After analyzing the information received at the exhibition we will decide what Russian machinery is in demand in Morocco and it will possibly need modification with due regard for specific features of the country," Korchevoy told Tass, noting that Moroccan partners had marked "good prospects of Russian hardware on the market" of the country. On the whole, participation of the Russian delegation in the exhibition was productive, the director general stressed.

SIAM 2012 is the biggest on the African continent and is held under the auspices of King Mohammed VI with participation of major companies from about 40 countries. Round-table discussions, seminars and working meetings are organized within its framework to discuss topical issues of interest for the companies operating in the agricultural sector.

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