The citrus campaign in Berkane, one of the largest citrus-growing regions in Morocco, ended abruptly in February, earlier than usual. Mohamed Saidi, CEO of Vergers Domaine Tarifit, reports on a difficult, but by no means failed season.
"Unsurprisingly, we are caught up in the difficult reality of the drought the country is experiencing," says Saidi. "The campaign ended very early, in mid-February, and recorded a significant drop in volumes. For Berkane clementines, volumes were down 30% on the previous season and 50% on a normal season. It should be noted that Berkane clementines account for 75% of the region's citrus production at this time of the season".
Growers in the region have been forced to abandon citrus in favor of other crops for the rest of the season, says Saidi. "Only a rare few packing houses continue to work with citrus, marketing crops that come from other regions. The overwhelming majority have moved on. For our part, we've decided to discontinue our late citrus program this season due to insufficient rainfall."
Nevertheless, the Berkane clementine campaign enjoyed commercial success despite lower volumes. Saidi explains, "We received solid demand from Russia and European markets. Prices have increased by 30% compared to an average season."
The commercial performance of the Berkane clementine comes despite the flooding of the European and Russian markets by Egyptian clementines, diverted from Asia due to the Red Sea crisis. According to Saidi, this is due to the particularity of this variety. He explains, "We held our ground against the Egyptian competition thanks to the superiority of the Berkane clementine, and its unique gustatory and aesthetic aspects. It's a variety that's very different from clementines of other competing origins, and even different from varieties produced in other regions of Morocco, and is well known and appreciated in international markets."
The grower concludes, "We hope to return to a normal pace of production next season. We're considering a production program that covers all our usual citrus varieties, provided the production conditions improve."
Mohammed Saidi
Vergers Domaine Tarifit & Packing House Eurober
Tel: +212 661772581