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Morocco World
5 days ago
- Business
- Morocco World
Morocco's Potato Exports Make Strong Comeback After Five-Year Decline
Rabat — Morocco has dramatically revived its potato exports during the 2024-2025 season after five years of steady decline, according to EastFruit website. The North African country shipped 42,900 tons of consumer potatoes worth $14.9 million between July 2024 and May 2025. This volume marks a 5.7-fold increase compared to the previous season and represents 1.5 times more than the 2022-2023 campaign. The recovery stems from renewed trade with West African countries and sustained European demand. Morocco's potato export industry hit rock bottom in 2023-2024, when the country shipped only 7,400 tons. This dramatic drop caused Morocco to fall from 28th to 67th place among global potato exporters. The decline began after the country's peak export year of 2018-2019, when the country shipped nearly 100,000 tons. Year after year, export volumes shrank as Morocco lost market share to competitors. Export embargo shaped recent performance Moroccan authorities imposed an embargo on exports to West Africa from February 2023 to July 2024. Officials designed this policy to protect the domestic market, stabilize local prices, and prevent shortages during periods of low production. During the embargo, Morocco concentrated its limited exports on European markets. The government later replaced the embargo with a quota system, allowing trade with West African partners to resume. West Africa drives the recovery Mauritania and Mali have become Morocco's top export destinations again, accounting for nearly half of all shipped volumes in 2024-2025. These countries prefer regional suppliers over distant sources due to global supply chain uncertainties. Spain remains a key European market, with shipments showing strong growth. France, Portugal, Côte d'Ivoire, and Senegal also posted significant increases. However, exports to the Netherlands, Burkina Faso, and Niger dropped sharply. Seasonal export pattern continues Morocco's potato exports follow a distinct seasonal pattern. The country ships most potatoes during two peak periods: July to September and February to April. This timing aligns with the country's harvest seasons and international market demand. Challenges remain despite recovery While the 2024-2025 recovery shows Morocco's ability to regain market share, the industry faces ongoing challenges. Weather conditions, water availability, and trading partners' commercial policies all affect export performance. The 2023 embargo revealed how regulatory decisions can impact Moroccan producers. Climate factors and irrigation access continue to influence production levels and export capacity. Tags: MoroccoMorocco's potato exportsPotatoPotato export
Morocco World
03-07-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
As Morocco Battles Drought, Avocado Exports to Canada Reach Record High
Rabat – While Morocco faces its worst drought in decades, the country has exported a record 1,180 tons of avocados, a water-intensive crop, to Canada this season. According to EastFruit, citing official data from Statistics Canada and Global Trade Tracker, Morocco exported 1.18 thousand tons of avocados to Canada during the first 10 months of the 2024/25 marketing year (July–June), valued at $3.7 million. This is a big jump compared to previous years, when Moroccan avocado exports to Canada never exceeded 70 tons. Shipments started in December 2024 and peaked in January and February 2025, with over 400 tons exported each of those months. By January, Morocco became Canada's second-largest avocado supplier, behind only Mexico. In February and March, it remained among the top three, alongside Mexico and Colombia. Mexico still dominates the Canadian avocado market, supplying over 93% of all imports. But this season, Mexico faced serious challenges. Heavy rain during the summer of 2024 damaged avocado crops, causing production to drop by 20%. At the same time, new US trade threats under President Donald Trump, including the possibility of 25% tariffs on Mexican goods, created uncertainty. Even though the tariffs were never applied, the increased customs checks caused delays and discouraged Canadian buyers. Because of these issues, Mexico sent about 2,500 tons fewer avocados to Canada between December and March, compared to the same period the year before. This created a supply gap in the Canadian market, and Morocco stepped in to help fill it. This record avocado export season comes at a time when Morocco is facing one of the most severe water crises in its history. The country has experienced five consecutive years of drought, with rainfall dropping nearly 53% below the 30-year average. Rivers and reservoirs have shrunk, crops have withered, and rural communities have been hit hardest. Because of this crisis, King Mohammed VI called on Moroccans to refrain from performing the traditional animal sacrifice for Eid Al Adha, one of the most important Islamic holidays. The King's decision came in light of the drastic drop in livestock numbers, the rising cost of feed, and the scarcity of water. Livestock herds had already declined by nearly 40% since 2016 due to poor pasture conditions and lack of rainfall. Avocados are known to be a water-intensive crop, as they require large amounts of water to grow. This has raised concerns about the sustainability of expanding avocado farming while Morocco struggles with water shortages.
Morocco World
21-06-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
Morocco Hits Record Rasberry Exports to Middle East
Morocco has set a new benchmark for its raspberry exports to the Middle East, reaching 700 tonnes just three months before the close of the 2024/2025 export season, according to agricultural data platform EastFruit. This surge, achieved during the first nine months of the current marketing campaign, marks a significant milestone for Moroccan agriculture. The boost is credited to the strong positioning of Moroccan raspberries during off-peak periods in rival markets, consistently high product quality, and a targeted trade strategy aimed at expanding in the Gulf region. Exports typically run from August through June, with major shipping peaks between October–November and February–May. October 2024 stood out as a record month, with more than 200 tonnes shipped, surpassing the combined totals of the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 seasons. Currently, Morocco exports raspberries to seven Middle Eastern countries. The UAE and Saudi Arabia dominate as the leading importers, accounting for roughly three-quarters of the total volume. Meanwhile, shipments to Kuwait have tripled over the past three seasons, and exports to Jordan have doubled. The UAE alone has seen a 67% jump in imports over that same period. The country's market share has expanded sharply across the region. Moroccan raspberries now represent 15% of imports in the UAE, up from 7%. In Kuwait, the share has jumped from 0.2% to 5%, in Qatar from 6% to 10%, in Bahrain from 6% to 22%, and in Jordan from 0.3% to 22%. While the report details Morocco's impressive growth in Middle Eastern markets, it also notes the country's rise to become the world's second-largest exporter of fresh raspberries as of 2024, second only to Mexico. This remarkable dual achievement reflects Morocco's strategic initiatives, including improved cultivation practices and targeted market diversification.
Morocco World
06-06-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
Morocco Exports Over 100,000 Tons of Avocados for the First Time
Rabat – Morocco has quietly but firmly claimed a new place among the world's key avocado exporters. For the first time, the country crossed the 100,000-ton mark in avocado exports, according to agricultural market platform EastFruit, an unprecedented milestone that signals Morocco's growing influence in a market once dominated by Latin America. This achievement comes amid a complex season. Global avocado prices have dropped due to an oversupply from producers in countries like Peru and Mexico. Still, Moroccan growers managed to outperform expectations, helped by a combination of stable weather, high-quality harvests, and increasingly competitive logistics. In Europe, Morocco's biggest export market, markets grew more crowded and prices more volatile. But Morocco fared well. Rather than chasing quantity, producers focused on consistency and quality, two aspects that set their produce apart in a market environment characterized by high pressure and competition. Morocco's growing visibility on the international trade scene is a symptom of broader changes in the global avocado business. With more and more suppliers flooding the market, shoppers no longer place top priority on prices. Shelf life, appearance, and on-time delivery carry as much weight as price. Demand remains strong, especially in Europe and North America, but the rules of the game have shifted. Morocco appears to understand this shift. Read also: Morocco Is World's 9th Largest Avocado Exporter Amid Water Scarcity It is no longer a secondary seasonal provider. It is now a regular player, one that can ride out fluctuating times while earning the confidence of international consumers. On a larger scale, this year's export milestone is more than a number. It is the indication of Morocco's entrance into a new era of its agricultural policy, one that is less reactive, more calculated, and more international. But such success comes at a price. Morocco's rise to global leadership in the avocado market is paid for with growing environmental expenses. Growing avocados is a water-intensive business that weighs heavily on a country already beset with regular droughts and worsening water shortages. With producers increasingly opening up more plantation land to meet overseas demand, concern grows about the sustainability of such development over the long term. The tensions between economic opportunity and environmental responsibility remain to be addressed, especially in regions where water shortage is already the reality. The challenge for Morocco now is how to reconcile export drive and its actual need to save its natural resources. Tags: avocadoavocado exportMorocco avocadoMorocco economyMorocco exports
Ya Biladi
05-06-2025
- Business
- Ya Biladi
Morocco breaks avocado export records, surpassing 100,000 tons
In a season marked by increased volumes and shifting trade dynamics, Morocco has emerged as a rising power in the global avocado market, surpassing the 100,000-ton export mark for the first time, according to the platform EastFruit. Despite a price decline caused by global oversupply, mainly from Latin American countries, Moroccan producers celebrated a second consecutive year of record-breaking exports, supported by excellent fruit quality, notably in size, and stable climatic conditions. Facing a saturated European market and mounting price competition, Morocco's performance highlights the maturity of its national avocado sector and its growing influence in the international trade scene. Global avocado markets are undergoing significant changes as increased supplies from Peru and other Latin American countries exert downward pressure on prices in key markets. Despite strong demand, especially in Europe and North America, factors such as quality, logistics, and ease of market access have become critical in shaping trade flows and prices.
