Over the last few weeks, fewer Moroccan cherry tomatoes have reached the European market. Yet volumes are abundant in Morocco, where growers are recording a production peak. Oumaima Ibnoutabet, Area Export Manager at ô Fresh, explains the situation.
© Oumaima Ibnoutabet, Ô Fresh Morocco
The exporter says: "March saw a slowdown in overall exports from Morocco. The reason is not a lack of production on our part, but rather a slowness of operations in most of packing houses during Ramadan. The month of Ramadan means shorter working hours and a shortage of labor. This situation will last until the first week of April, and we expect to be back to normal operations by the middle of next week.
"We are currently harvesting large quantities, especially in elongated cherry tomatoes. Variations in the climate have led to an increase in yields from March 15 onwards, instead of the usual April. This is a phenomenon we've observed over the last two seasons," Ibnoutabet adds.
© Oumaima Ibnoutabet, Ô Fresh Morocco
The drop in Moroccan exports to Europe has created a gap in the market, especially in Germany, as reported by the Moroccan specialized media AgriMaroc. The exporter comments, "Demand is clearly high. We are receiving many requests from various markets in Western and Eastern Europe. We'll be ready to meet these requests with programs available as early as next week."
This period also sees an increase in the price of cherry tomatoes on the shelves."Despite the high demand, I haven't raised my prices during Ramadan, since volumes are high.It's just a matter of a few days before the market returns to normal," she concludes.
For more information:
Oumaima Ibnoutabet
Ô Fresh
Tel: +212666755718
Email: export@ofreshmorocco.com
www.ofreshmorocco.com