At the beginning of August last year, the Souss Massa region, the stronghold of early vegetables in Morocco, experienced a surprising and unprecedented heatwave. The aftermath is well known and marked the whole last season: entire plantations scorched by the sun, a shortage of seeds, and a month-long delay that caused significant commercial complications.
One year after this climatic accident with enormous consequences, Obeida Mansour, a Kapi pepper grower in Morocco, is relieved: "By the grace of Allah, temperatures have been normal so far, and we hope they will remain so. Seed supply has gone smoothly, and the next season is set to start earlier than usual, around November."
"At Universal Peppers, we've doubled our Kapi acreage for next season, planting 30 hectares. I don't know if acreage has increased in the region for this specific variety, but it has increased for peppers in general. Demand is there, and our peppers will be destined for Germany, Switzerland, and Eastern Europe," continues the grower.
In addition to the weather, the region's early vegetable growers have to contend with pests and diseases. Mansour says: "It's as much a problem as the weather. Everyone is trying to switch to new varieties. At our level at Universal Peppers, we ran conclusive trials last season, and have now switched commercially to a new variety of Dutch origin Kapi."
For more information:
Obeida Mansour
Universal Peppers
Tel: +212663612461
Email: [email protected]