By the end of the Moroccan Nadorcott campaign in March-April, the Moroccan citrus season came to an abrupt end. Many growers preferred not to venture into the production of the Maroc Late variety this season, as was the case with Abdellah Agga of Yanour Logistic.
Agga explains, "Although the Nadorcott campaign went well, in terms of volume and quality, our prices were high, and it is difficult to compete with Egypt. A number of our growers have preferred to concentrate on other crops."
While Egypt's ever-increasing citrus production is made abundantly available in Europe by the Red Sea crisis, Moroccan citrus volumes are due the persistent drought and adverse climate.
Late varieties are taking the blow. Agga says, "Some varieties have disappeared completely, such as Ortanique. Others are disappearing because growers prefer other citrus varieties, or even other crops. Clementines and Maroc Late oranges are thus in constant decline".
Nevertheless, the grower says he is keeping a constant acreage for early varieties in preparation for next season. He adds, "We're hoping that the water and weather situation will improve, and we'll see how things stand by the end of August."
The grower concludes: "There is still a demand for varieties such as Nadorcott, which comes from several regions, including West Africa, the Middle East and Russia."
For more information:
Abdellah Agga
Yanour Logistic
Tel: +212689177922