An absolute record temperature was registered in Morocco on Friday, August 11, at 1:33 PM, with 50.4 degrees Celsius reached in the Souss Massa region. The heat wave lasted three days and was accompanied by "Chergui," hot, dry winds coming from the Grand Sahara, and sandstorms. Several cities also experienced record temperatures, including Agadir, with 50.2 degrees, and Taroudant, with 48.3 degrees, according to a report from the National Meteorological Directorate.
Mehdaoui Elmokhtar, a citrus grower based in Houara, near Agadir, told FreshPlaza: "We're barely out of this heat wave, which intensified this weekend. We're in the process of centralizing growers' data and assessing the damage. While we await the actual figures at the regional level, I can say that we have not escaped unscathed."
Mehdaoui continues: "In Houara, where my farm is based, the peak temperature was 50.2 degrees. Fortunately, all is not lost, the heatwave only lasted three days, and temperatures are already improving. As for damage, my first estimate is of the order of 5% of sunburn (i.e., 5% of volumes) and corresponds to the first clusters".
It's worth mentioning that operators in other sectors are reporting greater damage, as in the early vegetable industry, for example, which is more sensitive to heat than citrus.
According to a press release from the Ministry of Equipment and Water, quoting the National Meteorological Directorate, this is the first time in history that the temperature in Morocco has exceeded 50 degrees. The temperature record came from the Souss Massa region, one of Morocco's agricultural strongholds, while previous records have been set in the Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra region. The region is also suffering from acute water stress and is increasingly dependent on the Agadir seawater desalination plant.
For more information:
Mehdaoui Elmokhtar
Consulting Agro-Industriel
Tel.: +212 661-285356
Email: [email protected]