The first harvest of Moroccan tomatoes will arrive early this season, in contrast to the previous season, following more uniform and serene planting decisions in the Souss Massa region, breaking with the uncertainty that marked the last season. Oussama Machi, an early vegetable grower based in Agadir, predicts an improved campaign, yet with a decrease in volume to be expected.
Machi says: "All indicators point to the next season being similar to 2022-2023. Climatic conditions are not as extreme as last season, which can be attributed to the alternating El Nino and El Nina phenomena. We are also witnessing a return in the intensity of Tobrfv, with several outbreaks detected in the region, damaging up to 5% of plantations at this stage of the crop. This is a phytosanitary situation also similar to that of 2022-2023, which would indicate an inevitable and similar level of damage, and therefore higher than last season."
According to Machi, tomato acreage has dropped considerably in the Souss Massa region, in favor of soft fruit: "Tomatoes are becoming more and more of a headache because of viruses and market uncertainties. I estimate that acreage is down 10-15% from the previous season. Soft fruit acreage has reached 5,000 ha in the region, which is huge compared to the 7,000 ha devoted to tomatoes."
"There will be no tomato overproduction in Morocco next season," assures Machi. Last season, overproduction in the second half of the campaign, caused by hotter temperatures, drove Moroccan tomato prices to fall considerably, both on the local market and for export. Machi says: "It's still early to say what the prices will be, but I think they'll on average, be 20% higher than last season".
Finally, growers did not have to suffer the seed shortage they had the previous season. Machi: "We are even seeing the beginnings of success for some varieties in terms of resistance to Tobrfv, which is not true for all varieties. For example, we see a certain degree of resistance achieved in round and elongated tomatoes, but there is still no resistance in large-caliber tomatoes."
Tomato planting is currently at 2-4 weeks, with some early areas planted 5 weeks ago. The first harvests are expected in October and the campaign will last until May, concludes the grower.
For more information:
Oussama Machi
Casamance Food
Tel: +212661178150
Email: [email protected]