Morocco Explores Cannabis Fiber to Boost Textile Industry Competitiveness

Textile sector operators have constantly called on the government for help, especially after the health crisis, so that it can strengthen the sector, which requires heavy investment. "The most developed upstream in the world (China and Turkey) are thanks to very strong state intervention. And Morocco will be no exception. We will not be able to develop the textile upstream if the state does not support this development and accompanies the ramp-up of companies," said Fatima-Zohra Alaoui, director of AMITH, during the presentation of the new 2035 vision for the sector.

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In this sense, she calls for the use of natural resources such as hemp (cannabis) and wool to strengthen the textile upstream, in replacement of cotton and polyester. The legalization of cannabis in Morocco is an opportunity for the Moroccan textile industry, which will be able to use the fibers while the seeds will be exploited by the pharmaceutical sector. "We would thus have a 100% Moroccan integrated product. This is a completely ecological textile fiber whose cultivation is fast and does not require much water," said the director of AMITH.

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With this option, Morocco could reposition itself on the global textile market, especially with the entry into force on January 1, 2023 of the carbon tax in Europe, the main market for Moroccan textile products.