Agar specialist “Setexam company” inaugurated on Wednesday the first-ever production line in Kenitra for seaweed processing and agar-agar production, a product used in food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics, with an investment of MAD 60 million, Morocco’s Press Agency (MAP) reported.
The facility currently generates 300 on-site jobs and provides work for 10,000 seaweed harvesters, which will also help strengthen the industrial fabric in the region.
Launched in the presence of Morocco’s Secretary of State for Maritime Fisheries, Zakia Driouich, the project should provide an innovative solution for reducing chemical pesticides.
Driouich told MAP: “The Kingdom ranks third globally in agar-agar production, following China and Spain.”
Thanks to the technologies developed at the industrial unit, foliar fertilizers for organic farming will be produced, allowing for the reduction of chemical pesticide use, she noted.
Rachid Lebbar, Setexam CEO, highlighted the importance of agar-agar, which is also used in the production of antibiotics.
Produced to the highest quality standards, agar-agar is marketed in international markets across all continents, he added.
Setexam is recognized as a global leader in agar-agar production, serving markets in Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France.