Moroccan exporters are patiently waiting for price stability in Europe, where markets have offered sometimes very low prices for some Moroccan products. This is explained, according to Mr. Mostafa Mohattan, Commercial Director of Fructimoor, by the weather conditions, with a longer summer in Europe that has favored domestic production. "This has led us to reduce our export volumes to the European market and to ship to other markets, including Africa where demand is growing", said Mr. Mostafa.
At the same time, the young company Fructimoor has managed to expand its business. The fruit and vegetable exporter based in the Souss-Massa region of Morocco has been able to triple its network of producers in one year and conclude contracts with wholesalers, semi-wholesalers, commission agents and food manufacturers, according to Mr. Mostafa.
He explains: "Although European demand for some of our products is still slow, we believe it will soon stabilize and have already concluded contracts in the food industry. We have also diversified our network of producers to adapt to the new constraints. For example, we have outsourced watermelon production to Mauritania due to the water shortage in Morocco, and have the capacity to export 400,000 kg of watermelons per month. We also continue to supply international markets with the Nadorcott mandarin from Marrakech and Agadir".
More than an exporter of fresh fruits and vegetables, Fructimoor wants to position itself as a Moroccan sourcing and consulting company in the agricultural sector, targeting the agri-food industries. Mr. Mostafa explains this side of his activity: "For example, an industrialist who makes pizza sauce contacted us to place a large order for red peppers. We advised him, if his operation allows it, to build up most of his stock at the end of the harvest, in March and April, when bell pepper prices are at their lowest, and we reserve exclusively for this customer the end-of-harvest production of some of our pepper-producing partners".
Thus, rather than relying solely on fresh produce hubs, which are not stable, the exporter wants to expand its business and target the food industries, allowing more visibility and control of costs and raw material for all actors in the value chain, from producers to industrialists and exporters.
Mr. Mostafa adds: "We invite food manufacturers to come and produce their raw materials with our partner producers in Morocco. They have a solid experience and a great know-how in this field and we have the skills, the means, very fertile land, and greenhouses that do not need to be heated because our climate is favorable to agricultural production. But we do prefer crops that consume less water."
"In 2023, we will diversify our clients, and also our markets. We look forward to working with new industries and partners worldwide and developing a long-term operations with them", he concludes.
For more information:
Mr. Mostafa Mohattan
Fructimoor
Tel: +33 659752318 / +212 656873543
Email: contact@fructimoor.com
Website: fructimoor.com