INTERVIEW WITH AXEL D’HAUTHUILLE, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF SYNGENTA MAROC

“Adaptability could be a positive aspect of this crisis”

What is Syngenta’s situation in Morocco in this context of health crisis?

Given our sector of activity, we are in a privileged position as regards business. Thanks to farmers and their work, the health crisis did not become a food crisis. Syngenta supported them so that they could continue their activity in the best possible conditions. Some segments were unfortunately affected, in particular red fruit growers located mainly in the north of Morocco, which recorded many Covid cases. They have had to, and will have to, make numerous investments to transport and house workers, so cultivated areas are going to decrease, which will have an impact on us. But this is not our main business: the bulk of our activity concerns tomatoes and peppers for export, and there it is the opposite, we have performed well. As Southern Europe had less labour, this was beneficial for Morocco. Covid makes travel between cities more complicated, particularly for visiting customers, but overall we have been only slightly affected. All our teams are in place; it is the drought that is being felt more at our level.

How do you reconcile employee safety with the continuation of business?

In our offices in Agadir, Mohammedia and Rabat, we have made sure to reduce the number of people present at the same time in order to respect distancing, through advance booking of desks. The other employees are working from home.

We have also put in place cleaning systems for our premises. We have also organised training sessions to make our employees aware of protective measures in the offices, but also in the field for our sales staff and our research teams, who are likely to be in contact with more people.

Our traceability system on the premises is effective and we also have an isolation system in place so that, in the event of a suspected case, the person is isolated at home and their contacts are notified.

And with your customers?

At Syngenta, we have been using the Zoom application for more than two years. It is therefore a tool we are familiar with… And so we were among the first to organise webinars for our customers, who incidentally gave us excellent feedback. The customer relationship has been preserved and maintained, and continues to be.

In your view, what is the positive aspect of this crisis?

It is not easy to find one really, but if I have to pick out something positive, it is adaptability. We are indeed able to continue our activity while being less physically present, which will eventually increase working from home and therefore improve the quality of life of our teams, while at the same time reducing our premises costs, as we do not necessarily need such large spaces. The same goes for business travel, which will certainly decrease, especially within the Group. These are indeed positive points in the short term in terms of cost…