Moroccan strawberry growers are gearing up for the harvest soon, in December. Zniker Omar, owner of Souir Berry and soft fruit producer based in Larache, comments on the progress of production.
Zniker says, "We're getting ready to harvest and start exporting in December. Everything's going well so far, and we're lucky to have been spared the Bernard storm damage. We're doing better than last season, with lower production costs."
"That said, prices cannot go down since we suffered heavy losses last year, up to 50% of capital. Prices will have to improve for us to get through this season, not to mention the losses we suffered last year. We're optimistic since everything points to strong demand," continues Zniker.
Confirming earlier reports from several other growers, in what seems to be a national trend, Zniker says, "I reduced my strawberry acreage by 25% due to last season's difficulties in favor of raspberry and blueberry production."
The grower concludes, "We'll be exporting strawberries of the Fortuna, Victory, Sabrina, Savanna, and Inspire varieties as early as December, and hope that all goes by then and that our efforts will be rewarded with a matching demand."
For more information:
Zniker Omar
Souir Berry
Tel.: +212 660-004572
Email: souirberry@gmail.com