Production estimates for tangerines/mandarins, oranges, lemons, and orange juice remain unchanged from the December 9, 2021 Annual Citrus Report. Morocco experienced record citrus production in MY 2021/22. The 12 percent increase over MY 2020/21 is due to favorable weather conditions during the growing season and an increase in harvested area.
Trade Update
Experts have increased MY 2021/22 citrus exports based on available trade data. In MY 2021/22, Morocco shipped a record 110,500 MT of fresh citrus to the United States, about 156 percent more than in MY 2020/21. The increase is attributable to strong U.S. demand and increasing Moroccan investments in fruit packing technologies and cold treatment infrastructure required to ship Moroccan fruit to the United States. Moroccan citrus shipments to Russia were not disrupted due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with industry contacts explain that the shipping season was largely finished prior to the conflict.
However, Moroccan exporters note that payment and shipping problems are anticipated for the future season. Exporters in other industries confirm this concern, noting that Moroccan financial institutions are too risk averse to insure transactions with Russia.
Other constraints include high freight costs, which citrus exporters report have increased by 150 percent in MY 2021/22 over the previous year.
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Source: apps.fas.usda.gov