Tunis — A sub-regional workshop on development of labelled local farming products was crowned by an action plan aimed to boost Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian players' capacities in this field.

This action programme revolves essentially around the improvement of the regulatory frameworks, optimisation of the sector's organisation and development of markets.

During this two-day workshop (July 4-5), held by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in association with the Italian Bari-based Mediterranean Agronomic Institute, Tunisian, Algerian and Moroccan experts stressed the stakes of labelling the local farming produce of the Maghreb and presented the results of national studies on their countries' policies and experiences in this field, indicates a FAO communiqué, released on Thursday.

To these experts, the labelling process offers several advantages, including in particular the improvement of the local communities' income, creation of jobs for youths and women, as well as preservation of biodiversity.

The local products are often grown in difficult zones, such as mountains, forests, oases, etc., reminds FAO in its communiqué. "These products represent a valorised ancestral know-how and cultural peculiarities of each country," adds the press release.

Representatives of the agriculture ministries, research centres, civil society, technology parks and agro-poles of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia took part in this workshop on "Improving People's Living Conditions through Better Valorisation of Local Farming Products," further indicates the communiqué.