Many avocado growers in the northwestern Moroccan region of Larache agree that volumes will increase in the coming season. Estimates range from 33% to 50% more than last season. But Ahmed Bouljid, owner of Entrepôt Frigorifique Lixus, finds these estimates too conservative and asserts that the volume increase will reach 80%, i.e. 50,000 tonnes more than last season.
Bouljid says, "Not to be outbidding on figures, but this year's conditions are very good for the industry. I'm expecting volumes of 110 thousand tonnes, of which 95-100 thousand tonnes can be exported, provided weather conditions remain stable."
The exporter justifies: "The season's success can be judged as early as July. At that time of year, we are usually confronted with chergui (hot, dry winds), which was not the case in July this year. Rainfall in March was also better than last year. The climate in the region has been overall tropical this season, allowing natural thinning of around 10% of fruit. At this late stage of growing, we are not seeing any marbling in the fruits. We can't yet be sure of sizes, but we can expect a greater presence of large sizes than last season."
Bouljid continues: "What's more, the area under production has increased as the young shoots planted 3 years ago are now mature and coming into production. Given the general increase in quality, there won't be many gaps. We hope there will be no strong winds in October or November. If so, it will be a season to remember, with the best production to date in terms of volume, quality, and sales performance."
First harvests are expected in weeks 38/39 for Green Skin varieties, and week 43 for Hass, with peak harvest expected from December 15, according to Bouljid. The exporter adds that peak production should last longer than last season, until February.
"The increase in production will bring a lot of stability to the sector, and I hope we won't see the usual practices of speculation and storing fruit on the tree. With large volumes, everyone stands to gain: producers, exporters, local market distributors, and consumers," concludes Bouljid.
For more information:
Ahmed Bouljid
Entrepôt Frigorifique Lixus
Tel : +212 661-177735
Email : [email protected]