Fez-Meknès Craft Sector Devastated: 87,000 Artisans Idle Amid COVID-19 Crisis

The consequences of Coronavirus are considerable for the craft sector, which represents a key sector of the Fez-Meknès economy. The sector has been severely affected according to the economic monitoring committee of Fez-Meknès (CVE-FM), set up to develop efficient mechanisms to manage the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, reports the Map.

The assessment made by the CVE of the situation in Fez is worrying: 87,000 arts and production craftsmen have ceased their activity, including the 36,000 in the medina. There is also the suspension of imports of raw materials and the export of finished products and the decline in marketing due to the cancellation of national and international craft fairs.

In addition, the sector’s turnover has suffered an estimated drop of 1.675 billion DH during the confinement period, due to a 68% drop in exports. Severely shaken by the health crisis, the sector has not regained its former momentum, despite the resumption observed after the confinement period for 20,000 craftsmen. On the contrary, crafts in Fez are heavily penalized by several factors that delay its restart, including the lack or high cost of raw materials, the accumulation of fixed costs (water, electricity, rent), the weak domestic demand and the strong dependence of the sector on tourism, notes the CVE.

With a view to relaunching this sector, which contributes 12.8% to national GDP, the CVE, in consultation with the various stakeholders, has drawn up 32 recommendations, including 14 medium and long-term proposals. These include accelerating the implementation of craft sector projects validated as part of the Fez-Meknès Regional Development Plan (PDR), encouraging cooperatives operating in the field to register on the e-commerce platform created by the social development agency (ADS). To all this must also be added the scheduling of cultural events around crafts taking into account the flagship products of each province, the creation of digital solidarity fairs, as well as a regional database of craftsmen.

The CVE-FM, which was set up in June, is working for efficient management of the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic in order to promote the recovery of economic sectors at the local, provincial and regional levels, the same source indicates.