EVALUATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MOULOUYA IRRIGATION PROJECT OF MOROCCO (8/65-10/65)

PURPOSE OF PROJ WAS TO BRING ABOUT THE IRRIGATION OF APPROX 176000 ACRES OF FARMLAND AND THE INTRODUCTION OF SOUND IRRIG FARMING PRACTICES IN THE TARGET AREA. US DEPT OF AGR/US DEPT OF INT ERIOR STUDY TEAM OBTAINED THE INFORMATION FOR THIS EVAL THROUGH INTERVIEWS WITH GOM, USAID, US EMBASSY, UN, AND HYDROTECHNIC CORP OFFICIALS;ON-SITE OBSERV AT TARGET AREA FARMS;AND DISCUSSIONS WITH FARMERS AND THE STAFF MEMBERS OF THE EXPERIMENT STATIONS, LIVESTOCK BREEDING STATIONS, PROCESSING PLANTS & THE PERIMETER (PROJ AREA) HEADQUARTERS OF BOTH THE TADLA AND LOWER MOULOUYA PROJS. ALTHOUGH AT TIME OF EVAL ONLY 32000 ACRES HAD BEEN BROUGHT UNDER IRRIG,THE FUTURE OF THE PROJ,GIVEN ADEQUATE FUNDING,APPEARED FAVORABLE.IT WAS DETERMND THAT: THE GOM PLACES A HIGH PRIORITY ON THE ACHIEVEMENT OF PROJ GOALS; GOM PLANS FOR THE DEVEL OF THIS PROJ ARE FEASIBLE & EFFECTIVE; COMPLETED CONSTRUCTION FOR THE PROJ IS OF HIGH QUALITY; THERE ARE SUFFICIENT WATER RESOURCES FOR THE TARGET AREA AND THE SOIL QUALITY OF AREA IS GENERALLY GOOD; UPPER-LVL GOMPERSNNL ASSIGNED TO PROJ ARE WELL-QUALIFIED; AND THE TARGET FARMERS ARE PERHAPS THE BEST IN MOROCCO. THERE DID APPEAR TO BE A SHORTAGE OF QUALIFIED GOM PERSNNL AT THE PERIMETER LEVEL;GOM HAS RESPONDED TO THIS THROUGH PERSNNL CHANGES. IT IS RECOMMENDED: 1)FEAS STUDIES OF THE TRIFFA & GAREB PLAIN BE POSTPONED UNTIL MORE IS KNOWN OF THE WATER SUPPLY IN THOSE AREAS; 2)STUDY SHOULD BE CNDUCTED TO DETERMINE HOW TO PROTEC T THE MECHRA KLILA RESERVOIR FROM FILLING WITH SEDIMENT; 3)ANNUAL COMMITMENTS FROM THE NEW LOAN (TO COMPLETE PROJ)SHOULD BE DETERMINED BY PROGRESS ACHIEVED BY GOM IN MEETING PROJ SCHEDULE; 4)MANPOWER SURVEY SHOULD BE CONDUCTED OF THE AVAILABILITY & NEEDS OF AGR TECHS DURING THE NEXT 5 YRS; 5)SUBSTANTIVE IN-SRVC TRNG PROGS BE IMPLEMENTED FOR GOM PROJ PERSNNL; 6)US TECHS SHOULD BE USED AS CONSULTANTS; NUMBER OF FOREIGN TECHS IN OPER POSITIONS BE HELD TO A MINIMUM; 7)UNIRRIG PROJ AREA GRASSLANDS SHOULD BE SEEDED & HAVE CONTROLLED GRAZING; 8)BRANCH OF ECON & STATS BE ESTBLSHD AT HQ'S LAND DEVEL DIV; 9)MODEL CMV BE ESTBLSHD IN LOWER MOUL AREA.