The early season for citrus in Morocco is complicated, to say the least, according to reports from professional sources in the largest citrus regions, namely Souss Massa, Berkane, and Marrakech. Volumes are down by half and sizes are too small for early clementines, due to intense heat and water shortages for the fourth consecutive year.
The fourth major citrus region, Beni Mellal, has not escaped this situation, shares Ahmed Bouljid, co-owner of the packing house Lexus. Bouljid says, "The situation differs slightly from region to region, but unfortunately it's a failed start everywhere. Beni Mallal has also been affected by the heat and lack of rain. Drier clementines are seen everywhere. Berkane is faring better in terms of quality, but sizes are smaller than usual. We can indeed speak of an unsuccessful start to the season."
However, it's still early to pronounce on the fate of the season, says Bouljid. "We do our best to collect the best boxes from each region, there are still exportable clementines in good quality. We'll see how things go for the varieties to come. We still have the Afourar, Navel, and Maroc Late coming next year. It will all depend on rainfall over the next few weeks. We'll see more clearly in January."
The exporter concludes, "It's a similarly difficult start to the season for other products we export, such as avocados, with prices falling due to tough competition from Latin America. It's all the more difficult as sizes are smaller this year. Things may improve in January, but it will all depend on how much South American avocados Europeans will manage to stock."
For more information:
Ahmed Bouljid
Entrepôt Frigorifique Lexus
Tel: +212 661-177735
Email: [email protected]