The Moroccan raspberry campaign is kicking off. The first harvests are taking place, and the first shipments have already departed. According to Amine Bennani, President of the Moroccan Association of Soft Fruits Growers, the industry has gained stability despite increasingly challenging production conditions.
A sign of the stability of the Moroccan raspberry industry, the acreage has reached the threshold of available demand, says Bennani: "The area has increased exponentially over the last five years, and has remained at the level of 4,200-4,500 ha over the last two seasons, divided between the Loukkos and Souss Massa regions. This area has not increased much this year, and we have reached a ceiling that offers just enough volume to cover market needs".
In terms of volume, this represents between 50,000 and 60,000 tonnes of fresh raspberries and between 10,000 and 12,000 tonnes of frozen raspberries every year, according to Bennani. this tonnage corresponds to last season's exports, with the same prospects expected for the upcoming season. Production is dominated by three varieties of American and European origin.
The raspberry industry was the first casualty of storm Bernard, which hit Morocco's Atlantic coast last season, as it coincided with the peak of the harvest. This season, weather conditions have improved considerably, according to Bennani. However, the phytosanitary situation is increasingly difficult. Bennani explains: "We're faced with water stress and global warming, which foster pests and considerably increase treatment costs. What's more, an increasing number of phytopharmaceutical products are being banned, driving up production costs. We're talking about a doubling or even tripling of the cost of farming operations compared with the previous season."
As for demand, the same picture as last season is expected. Bennani "Raspberries are a very perishable product. We are limited to proximity markets, so Europe will remain the predominant market for Moroccan raspberries, with all volumes going to the UK, France, Germany and other European countries. We have begun negotiations to develop the Gulf and Russian markets with shipment by air, and the business opportunities are promising."
The first raspberry shipments from Agadir (Souss Massa) have already left for Europe, while the Larache (Loukkos) campaign starts next week and will run until May-June 2025.
For more information:
Amine Bennani
Moroccan Association of Soft Fruit Growers
Tel: +212661243424
Email: [email protected]