Morocco will extend easy peeler season

The Moroccan Clementine export started this season 10 days later than the previous year. First deliveries were made by end of October in Canada then in Russia before reaching the EU market. As usual, Moroccan citrus exporters were concentrated on making the first easy peelers available in North America the earliest possible. Now the season has been over since the end of December. "We were short by 4% compared to 2010-2011. We marketed 205,000t. against 213,000t last season. However the market reacted better to our products as the quality was good. We had so little rain during the picking period and that was a positive situation for the fruits, explains Fatiha Charrat, Sales and Marketing Director at Delassus.

The Clementine nour season has been very short. Delassus exported the majority of the volume to Russia, this season they will be exporting 14% less than last season due to the bi-annual production of this variety.

The Nadorcott variety has started in good condition. Ms Charrat says that this variety is welcomed by importers and consumers all over the world. The Nadorcott seedless tangerine is a special variety discovered in Morocco in 1982 in the INRA collections (Institut national de la recherche agronomique), then subsequently selected and planted by the Agricultural Estates in 1990. It is exceptional, as the taste and flavour are excellent. This is a late easy peeler and is marketed from January till late may.

While isolated from other citrus, the nadorcott is truly seedless. "In Morocco, we isolated 5 sites where no other citrus is planted. We can use the brand Afourer if the production is isolated and if the fruit is really seedless. Otherwise we market it under the nadorcott name".

Many exporters are offering Afourer this season: Delassus Group is one of them with its 3000t. The farms have young plantations and many of them are giving their first crop this season. In the future, Afourer – Nadorcott will offer Morocco the opportunity of driving the easy peelers business for a much longer period: 8 months instead of 6 months as before.

Visit the Moroccan pavilion at Hall 1.1/A-02

Fatiha Charrat
Delassus Group
www.delassus.com