There are 40 textile factories that produce ten million disposable masks per day

Marruecos ya exporta mascarillas a España, Francia, Italia y Alemania

photo_camera AFP/ FADEL SENNA - Factory workers pack disposable protective masks along a production line in Casablanca, Morocco

A total of 16 companies based in Morocco have begun exporting their production of reusable masks to protect against the coronavirus to Spain, France, Italy and Germany, according to a source from the Moroccan Ministry of Industry and Trade.

These companies, in order to have the required authorization for export, have to prove that they sell half of their production in the local market - where the wearing of masks is mandatory in every trip -, and also use imported raw materials in the manufacturing process. The source said that the export began gradually from last May 10, but did not reveal its volume.

There are 40 textile factories in Morocco that produce ten million disposable masks a day, plus another 73 units and cooperatives that manufacture washable and reusable masks.

This reconversion of the factories has made it possible to relatively alleviate the crisis in the textile sector, which last April suffered a drop in exports of 86% (compared to April 2019), as revealed yesterday the Minister of Industry and Foreign Trade, Moulay Hafed Alami in the Parliament.

As part of its measures to combat the coronavirus, the Moroccan authorities decreed on April 7 that it is mandatory to wear a mask for all travel abroad, and any violation of this measure is punishable by up to 3 months in prison and a fine of up to 1,300 dirhams (110 euros).

Since then, the Maghreb country has intensified the manufacture of the masks, whose production, strictly controlled by the State at all stages, has enabled it to meet domestic demand. 

More in Economy and business