The dust is settling and the picture is becoming clear for the Moroccan avocado industry, after storm Bernard raised concerns last week. Abdelmoumen El Achkar, avocado producer and CEO of ECOMAC told FreshPlaza, "It was more fear than harm. We did take some damage, but not to the point of derailing the campaign."
The grower adds, "Damage to fruit averages 10%, or 6,000 tonnes nationwide. Fallen fruits are mainly large-sized Hass avocados. These fruits are no longer exportable, but some are still of good quality and could find their way to the local market. We have also seen some losses in trees, either broken in whole or in part, or even uprooted by the storm. The impact on costs and volumes remains limited, as these are mainly young trees."
It is worth recalling that the storm reached its most violent intensity in the Larache region, the stronghold of avocado production in Morocco, where winds reached a speed of 106km per hour.
Elachkar is reassuring: "Despite the losses, our forecast for the season remains very optimistic. Taking these losses into account, we are still on track to reach historic export levels, thanks to the major leap forward made in production this season. Demand remains strong, too, and the storm has not shaken the market. We are in contact with our customers and have assured them of the delivery of their orders without any cancellations."
Will the loss of volume push up prices? El Achkar replies, "there's plenty of supply on the market at the moment, with shipments from Colombia and Mexico. The market is saturated with sizes from 22 to 28, and prices are even starting to decrease. Prices for sizes from 12 to 20, which are Moroccan growers' strong asset, remain very good despite the storm, and may increase when demand picks up. On the local Moroccan market, too, prices remain stable."
For more information:
Abdelmoumen El Achkar
ECOMAC
Tel: +212 661-085166
Email: [email protected]