The
economy of the north of Morocco is based on three main sources of revenues:
- the foreign
currencies that the emigrants contribute from Europe
- the smuggling
of hashish
- the agriculture
of subsistence
Both first
they generate some rents that circulate little when being immobilized in
the banks or in the construction. The agriculture and the alone cattle
raising supply the self-consumption, since enough surpluses that can be
marketed don't take place.
In the central
Rif the primary sector is almost exclusive, with the exception of the tourism
in Al Hoceima and Chefchaouen. The counties of Tetuan and Nador prepare
besides agriculture of irrigable, a certain industry, an intense constructive
activity and the smuggling coming from Ceuta and Melilla.
Most of the
active population depends on the field, in spite of the scarce agrarian
productivity. This primary employment is carried out like family help,
since alone the irrigable one and the kif need salaried manpower. The industry
neither is still generating of a lot of employment, except in Tetuan. The
sector of services is growing when welcoming the emigrants that move to
the suburbs of the cities.
The urban areas
accumulate bigger unemployment rates and inactivity that the mountain,
but in the rural areas a high underemployment is given the frequent employment
of all the members of the family since it doesn't belong together with
the
agrarian final production.
The climatic,
hydrological conditions and the floors define three agriculture types:
- Irrigable,
in the basins of the rivers Moulouya, Kert, Nekor, Laou and Martil.
- Favorable
'Bour', in the counties of Tetuan and Chefchaouen with precipitations up
to the 500 mm.
- Non favorable
'Bour', in the counties of Al Hoceima and Nador with less than 500 mm and
eroded floors.
The distribution
of the agrarian surface indicates a prevalence of the cereals, followed
by the olive tree, the leguminous ones, the forages, maraîchages,
amandiers and clot.
The productivity
of almost all the cultivations are same or inferior to the stocking of
Morocco and around half of that one obtains in Andalusia. The cereals,
that belong the basic product for the feeding to most of the population,
are available alone in 80% regarding the rest of Morocco.
Special case
is the cultivation of the cannabis that occupies an extension that oscillates
among 65.000 hectares there are of the dry years and the 134.000 there
are in the rainy ones. It is also a cultivation in expansion for their
good adaptation to the mountain floors and for their high profitability,
once become resin of hashish. The production of hashish of approaches to
47400 tms yearly, it brings back 214 M $ to the economy of the Rif. These
incomes sit multiplies for seven that the remains of agriculture and livestock
and with a tendency to the increase.
The value of
the agrarian final production -except for the kif - it can ascend to about
1.400 millions Dirham to year, what about 6.300 Dh supposes for each active
person, although with big differences between the 17.000 of the irrigable
ones and the 3.500 of the mountain. Some short rents that it explain the
scarce money of the rural economy.
The agriculture
is an activity that uses to great quantity of population in small family
parcels that alone they take place for the self-consumption. It is a promiscuous
agriculture that tries to minimize the risks diversifying the wheat cultivations
for bread, leguminous, forrages for the livestock, cannabis to sell and
some fruit-bearing one. It is a strategy of subsistence adapted to a difficult
environment one and the scarce capitalization.
The forest
use of the floor dominates in the Gomara and the Rif, where half of its
surface it is occupied by the forest. On the other hand the area of Al
Hoceima and Nador it has suffered an intense deforestation process, erosion
and desertization.
The mediterranean
forest of oaks and cork oaks prevail in Chefchaouen, while the pines dominate
in the oriental part. The forests of more biological wealth are 16.000
ha. of cedars in Ketama and the 4.000 ha. of abies in Talasemtane that
benefit of those more than 1.800 liters of precipitation in the Rif mountains.
In the county of Nador the precipitations go down to 350 mm, highlighting
the suberaie of Jbel Karn and the pines of Alepo of Afsou.
The abundance
of the mediterranean heath of 'coscoja', so much in the oriental
half as in the coastal band, it indicates the degradation of the original
forest for their intensive use as fuel. It is this function of energy source
the main productive value of the forest.
The cattle
raising supposes the main source of revenues for the rural population.
In the mountain area the livestock contributes up to 5 times more than
the cultivations. Especially in the western part the cattle raising is
very productive because the precipitations allows the cultivation of forages
plants to complete its feeding.
The care of
the livestock is the main dedication of the children. This factor explains
other phenomenons like the discharge rate of agrarian activity or the slight
index of schooling. The economic contribution of the child´s work
is fundamental for the family economies.
The goatish
livestock, with almost half million of heads, is as abundant in the rural
means as people. Of the goats it is obtained milk in the first place and
in smaller measure meat. For their adaptability to the aridity has a great
presence in the oriental part.
The sheep are
the second species in importance, with a room of million of heads. Their
economic value is in its abundant wool, continued by the meat.
The bovine
livestock corresponds to an autochthonous species of scarce size, what
allows its cowshed inside the own housings. Their production milkmaid is
short, although of great quality.
The equine
livestock conserves their traditional importance like means of transport.
However the horses have descended a lot from the time of the " harcas ",
being great quantity of mules and asses.
The fishing
is a traditional activity in the mediterranean coast of Morocco. Besides
the tunas that cross for the strait, it is abundant the fishing by means
of small boats called " pateras ". This scarce tonnage of the crafts makes
that the ports are numerous and small. Besides the ports of M´Diq,
Al Hoceima and Nador, there are roadsteads in Martil, Oued Laou, Jebha
and Cala Iris.
In spite of
the exhaustion of the fish banks, the production grows in the last years
for the increase of power of the ships. Even this way, their production
supposes alone 15% of the national total.
In the mediterranean
facade 98% of that production wastes away in fresh, for the lack of conservation
infrastructures. It even happens that the fish that the population of the
interior consumes, and in particular in the prerifian hills, it comes from
Tánger.
The industry
has a scarce importance, so much in employment terms as of production.
The cities of Tetuan and Nador only have a certain industry. The industries
of Nador offer a higher productivity, but Tetuan it has a growing installation
partly for the deslocation of Spanish companies. In any event, the Moroccan
industry continues concentrated on Casablanca, where it crowds round half
of the secondary sector.
The industries
of the north are of reduced size, like it indicates the one that in front
of the national stocking of 71 workers for company, in Tetuan it goes down
to 55 and in Nador at 27. It is also a not very automated industry that
sometimes comes closer to the sector of the craft.
In Tetuan the
old industries previous to the independence, cement producers, sugar or
paper, cohabit with new installations of textile factories attracted by
the abundant feminine manpower. In Chefchaouen the industry is nonexistent
and in Al Hoceima alone they highlight 2 fish factories and 4 of construction
materials. Nador on the other hand harbors agricultural industries, of
construction, of béton in fer, of fish preserves, a sugar one and
the only mine of the north, that of iron of Seferif.
The craft is
one of the main economic and cultural wealth of Morocco. However in the
north the craft of tradition amazigh got lost in great measure, for the
diffusion from Tetuan of the andalusí style . The shops are usually
occupied by a teacher and two apprentices and they carry out directly in
90% the sale in the shop or in the 'suq'.
In Tetuan and
Chefchaouen the traditional artisans have formed the cooperative Scamatec
as a society of reciprocal guarantee for the supplies of matters cousins
and applications of credits. In Tetuan it is had specialized formation
centers and with a good commercialization net, ending up occupying to more
than 20.000 people. In Chefchaouen the current expansion of the craft,
mainly ceramic and textile, it goes bound to the tourism. In Al Hoceima
commercialization nets don't exist, highlighting the work of the wood in
Tagzouth and Bni Boufrah and the leather in the tribe of Tamasint.
The construction
is one of the most important economic sectors in employment terms and value,
growing its importance very above the Moroccan stocking. The main reason
of this growth is in the emigrants in Europe that they are built its secondary
residence. It also works this sector like refuge of the capitals coming
from the smuggling of hashish.
Today one lives
an authentic boom of the construction, mainly in Nador -between Selouane
and Bni Anzar-, in the valley of the Nekor -among Ajdir and Al Hoceima
-and in the county of Tetuan -between Ceuta and Martil-.
The tourism
is in the group of the Moroccan economy a sector in expansion, because
although alone it represents a 1,5% of the product, it comes growing to
an annual rhythm of 20%. But the tourism is promoted only in the four imperial
villages, while it is not favored neither the coast neither the mountain.
The area amazigh of Agadir, the Great Atlas and the valley of the Draa
are blunting like destination of the rural tourism in spite of the promotion
lack.
The north of
Morocco has big derived potentialities from its proximity to Europe, the
good beaches, the mountain landscape and its cultural particularities.
The hotel infrastructure is scarce and concentrated on Tetuan. They are
more abundant the guest rooms without qualification, mainly in the oriental
area. These lodgings harbor a numerous local population in traffic, not
properly tourist.
The main tourist
poles concentrate on the coast of Smir and Ajdir, two already locate overdrafts
in the years 60 for the Club Med. Lately a certain sector of rural tourism
is growing around Chefchaouen.
The trade is
one of the pillars of the economy of the north, mainly for the smuggling
from Ceuta and Melilla. But the trade is not limited to the big urban nuclei,
but rather in the rural means there is a great proportion of merchants
that they are devoted for sale traveling with its trucks. A dense net of
weekly 'suqs' that gathers the farmers of the surroundings in the main
'douares' also works.
The provisioning
of products is to regulate, with the exception of some products like the
flour, the tea, the cared butter or the gas butane. In general the trade
continues being very seasonal, concentrating on the months of summer.
The financial
system is the final destination of great part of the rents obtained in
the productive sectors. The bank deposits suppose a volume like to the
whole annual gross product, ending up duplicating it in counties like Nador.
Somehow Nador works like destination of the money coming from the smuggling,
the kif and the remittances of the emigrants.
But alone as
destination initial, because these funds are not reinvested in the area.
The banks concentrate their credits and investments on Casablanca, the
only Moroccan city that receives more credits than deposits. A net transfer
of 11.000 millions Dh takes place to year from the north of Morocco toward
Casablanca.
Therefore,
the economy of the north of Morocco is able to produce an important volume
of surpluses, although based on the emigration and the smuggling. However
this capital is not put to the service of the endogenous development, but
rather it strays toward the economic center of the country.
