The blueberry season in Morocco has staggered this year, delaying the peak harvest by almost a month. Amine Bennani, President of the Moroccan Association of Soft Fruit Producers, says: "We'll be seeing more and more harvests in the coming weeks, and we'll reach peak volume levels in April and May. Interestingly, this delay has turned out to be a commercial opportunity".
© Amine Bennani
The growers' representative explains the reasons for the oddity: "We had unsuitable temperatures for blueberries in the north of the country in November and December, coinciding with the flowering of the fruit. This delayed fruit growth, and growers harvested only 17-20% of last season's volumes by the end of February. On the other hand, in the Agadir region, conditions have been good and harvests normal, so far-reaching 70% of the season's volumes."
"Productivity has clearly increased in Larache now and will continue to increase until we reach peak harvest very soon. There will be plenty of Moroccan blueberries on the market from now until the end of the season in the second week of May," Bennani continues.
© Amine Bennani
Larache growers are confronted with a major obstacle during this busy period. Bennani: "Labor supply is a big challenge. There will be a peak production of blueberries, in addition to the second cycle of raspberries and strawberries for freezing. There will certainly be fruit losses because there will not be enough workers to harvest them."
From a commercial point of view, Bennani sees the delay in the season as a blessing in disguise, as he explains: "Seasonal variation for climatic reasons is a worldwide phenomenon, which also occurred in Spain and Latin America. This meant that there were a lot of blueberries on the market later than usual, and fortunately, Moroccan production didn't arrive en masse earlier. Prices were not interesting and were even lower than last season."
© Amine Bennani
" From now until May, the market will be more favorable, which also comforts us in the change of course made by Moroccan growers this season towards the production of jumbo varieties, which are very much in demand in European and Asian markets," Bennani concludes.
For more information:
Amine Bennani
Moroccan Association of Soft Fruit Producers
Tel: +212661243424
Email: phytoloukkos@gmail.com