The African Development Bank (AfDB) granted Morocco a loan of 199 million euros (195 million U.S. dollars) to finance the country's Competitive and Resilient Cereal Development Support Program (PADCRC), reported the Moroccan news agency MAP on Friday.

Achraf Hassan Tarsim, AfDB's Country Manager for Morocco, was quoted as saying that the loan will help Morocco increase cereal productivity by 50 percent and reduce cereal imports by 20 percent by 2030.

The loan is part of the bank's Emergency Food Production Facility to help boost food security, nutrition, and resilience across Africa, the report said.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Morocco has imported more than 4.8 tons of soft wheat from November 2021 to August 13, 2022.

The cereal output in the North African country has not exceeded 3.4 million tons this year due to severe drought.