On the occasion of the International Day of Plant Health, celebrated on May 12, 2026 under the theme “Protecting plant biosecurity to safeguard food security”, ONSSA organized awareness-raising and communication activities through all its Regional Directorates, intended for national partners and professionals. These activities highlighted the importance of protecting plants against pests and plant diseases, as well as the efforts deployed to preserve the national plant heritage from quarantine pests and diseases.
In this context, ONSSA also took part in the “12th International Symposium on Fruit Flies of Economic Importance”, held in Agadir from May 10 to 15, 2026. The symposium provided an opportunity to share expertise and improve environmentally sustainable control methods and management strategies aimed at minimizing the negative impacts of fruit flies.
In her opening remaks , Mrs. Najat Mokhtar, Deputy Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), commended Morocco’s experience in the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), implemented by ONSSA to promote biological pest control and encourage the rational use of plant protection products, particularly against the Mediterranean fruit fly. Initiated nearly ten years ago, the technical cooperation project with the IAEA led to the establishment of a sterile Mediterranean fruit fly male production unit in the Souss-Massa region.
