The Moroccan Hass avocado season began on October 28 with record volumes, which led to a drop in prices compared to the previous season. For Yassin Chaib, an avocado grower in Larache (northwest), "this season nevertheless marks a major step forward in the stability of the avocado industry in Morocco."
Chaib compares the start of the campaign to previous years: "Usually, competition between exporters pushes them to want to start the campaign as soon as they can, once the dry matter threshold is barely reached. This has caused ripening problems for customers, and rumors immediately spread on the market. All it takes is one mistake from a zealous exporter for the entire Moroccan origin to be penalized. But this year, Foodex Maroc has imposed a launch date for the campaign to break with these practices and guarantee quality. To check the dry matter content, Foodex Maroc asked for samples of different sizes and did a good job of monitoring."
"We've started the campaign serenely, exporting fruit from young trees first. We're seeing the results of a stable summer in terms of weather conditions. And with the measures taken to professionalize the sector, we haven't received a single complaint since the start of the campaign," Chaib continues.
The start of the campaign was marked by lower prices than in the same period of the previous season, which worried many growers and exporters. Chaib is reassuring: "This is the result of exceptional volumes. It's the first time we've reached this volume record, and we'll have to adapt. All the signs point to the fact that production of this size will be the norm in the years to come, and prices will inevitably stabilize, which is the normal result of the sector's maturity. One of the benefits of this large volume is that we're moving towards the application of firm buying and selling prices, which reduces speculation."
"There will always be more demand than production, especially for Moroccan origin," Chaib adds."We have a decisive advantage over other Latin American and African origins, which is our geographical proximity to the European market, which reduces transit time and transport costs. Our avocados therefore have priority in the market, and whatever the prices, the sector will remain profitable."
Chaib expects European demand for avocados to drop towards the end of the year. He says, "As far as this season is concerned, demand will drop as we approach Christmas when consumers turn to other fresh produce. The campaign won't really start until the first week of January when demand is higher, and that's when we can really talk about prices."
For more information:
Yassin Chaib
Mavoca
Tel: +212 661-997205
Email: [email protected]