The organic produce sector in Morocco is surviving thanks to a handful of players who are not giving in to the appeal of conventional agriculture, despite real marketing difficulties. As Benyahia, co-founder of Biomouja, puts it, "For us, farming is first and foremost a passion for the land, and as long as we can grow and keep our families thriving, we'll continue to do so."
Based in the Hajeb province, in the fertile Fez-Meknes region, Biomouja grows entirely organic fruits. Benyahia describes his operations: "We are a family farm operating on a small area of 7 hectares where we grow figs, apricots, and pomegranates, alongside other products. Our production is 100% organic and we exclusively use biological pest control. We are fortunate in the El Hajeb region to have sufficient water resources, although sometimes the temperatures are not optimal for our fruit. Yields are nevertheless satisfactory, at least 8 tonnes per hectare. We have a drying and processing unit and a cold room. In terms of management, we have obtained all the certifications needed to sell to supermarkets specializing in organic produce, and even to export."
Faced with a local Moroccan market that shows little interest in organic fresh produce, certainly not amid rampant inflation, the grower is unable to sell all her production on the fresh market. She explains, "Although there's no competition, and our volumes are relatively small, we only sell 10% of our production fresh, within two weeks of harvest. After that, we have to process the fruit, dry it, and make by-products such as jams. This enables us to spread our sales over the whole year, and to sell our entire volumes."
Asked about the dynamics of the local Moroccan market in the organic sector, Benyahia replies: "It's a niche market, as prices are prohibitive compared with conventional produce. Casablanca absorbs large volumes, but Rabat stands out for its premium quality sourcing. Marrakech is also an important market. I can say that the local market is fairly well developed to absorb our current volumes and support a steady annual increase in volumes, even if can't sell everything as fresh."
As for the global market, it remains out of reach for Benyahia, and this is partly deliberate. She argues, "We participated in many exhibitions, and have been approached by customers in Europe, but they're asking for far too large volumes. One German importer for example asked for 300 tons of organic figs per year, which is way beyond our production capacity. This would require an important aggregation, but I'm not keen to do so. We want to stay true to our agroecology-based production model, which aims to introduce our fruit to foreign markets without going overboard with exports. Above all, we want to export the surplus of our production and keep the bulk for the Moroccan market, not the other way around."
"We're actually too big for the local market, yet too small to export," Benyahia sums up."Ideally, we should be able to find importers in close countries who want moderate volumes, even if we have to aggregate on a moderate scale. What's essential is that quality and respect for nature and mankind take precedence over quantity and profit."
Meanwhile, Benyahia says she and her family are focusing on their chosen mission: to ensure the survival of the agroecological model in Morocco. She says, "In this field, our achievements are remarkable. We have been able to preserve many indigenous varieties that have disappeared elsewhere in Morocco. We maintain and develop our seed bank, and are part of a network of like-minded organic and agroecological growers. After all, somebody's got to do it."
For more information:
Laila Benyahia & Fouad Alami Idrissi
Biomouja
Tel: +212 661-483455
Email: [email protected]
www.biomouja.com