Many small communities in Morocco's Atlas Mountains are completely destroyed. Survivors are burying their loved ones or clearing rubble to recover more bodies. At least 70 people have died in the mountain village of Imi N'Tala. The total death toll has risen to more than 2,800. The agricultural economy in the damaged area has also been largely paralyzed in the wake of the exceptional situation. FreshPlaza spoke to some importers and Morocco specialists in the DACH area.
'Effects will be seen soon'
Ahmed Bouklata is considered the herb specialist par excellence at the Cologne wholesale market and, as a native Moroccan, has a large network in his homeland. "The damage area stretches from Marrakesh across the Atlas Mountains to Agadir. Citrus fruits are the main crops grown in this region, as well as various vegetable crops such as tomatoes, zucchini and beans. Although we have some growers, such as of chives, in the Agadir area, herb cultivation is rather marginal in this region. The bulk of our produce usually comes from the Tangier area, in other words, the north of the country."
This week, Bouklata will pack the first Moroccan cut herbs of this season. "It is difficult to say at this time if and to what extent the exceptional situation will affect infrastructure and agricultural exports. This will then become apparent later in the season. In general, we are already anticipating a challenging Morocco season due to the heat, especially with regard to more sensitive crops such as mint. In addition, however, we can also rely on Ethiopian flight goods, so that there will normally be no bottlenecks," says the herb specialist with locations in Cologne and Neuss.
'Possible impact on tomatoes and bush beans'
Cevdet Cavusoglu is managing director of the growing wholesale company Fresh&Cash, based in Wuppertal-Vohwinkel, and is in close contact with Moroccan suppliers throughout the year. "In summer, Moroccan honey, sugar and watermelons dominate the scene, but the season has now been over for several weeks. We are now preparing for the winter season, when we will mainly use Moroccan vegetables, such as beans, tomatoes as well as peppers."
Some of the vegetable products mentioned are also grown in the damaged area between Agadir and Marrakech. At present, however, the Wuppertal wholesaler does not yet have any information on the situation on the ground. Cavusoglu: "We are still trading mainly Belgian tomatoes, normally the Moroccan batches hit the market more frequently from the end of October. The same applies to bush beans, also an important export product of the Moroccan vegetable sector." Corresponding shortages and price adjustments can therefore not be ruled out, he said.
'No impact on citrus exports expected at the moment'
Latest indications are that the disaster will not have too much of an impact on the citrus harvest. "After all, everything is bad enough and the infrastructure in the country will certainly be damaged. However, it is difficult to estimate how big the extent of damage will be at the moment," said Krino Röben of Fruchtversand24. The Aurich-based mail-order company offers Moroccan citrus fruits in winter, including clementines and oranges from the affected region of Agadir. "We expect the first arrivals of clementines from Berkane in northeastern Morocco by mid/end November. Only after that will we turn our attention to importing later clementines as well as navel oranges from Agadir."
For more information:
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www.fruchtversand24.de
www.freshandcash.de