As soon as the grape season started in Morocco, back in May, growers had anticipated a low season due to water stress and successive heat waves. Today, at the end of the campaign, they are reporting greater-than-expected damage yet a degree of commercial success.
Elana Shabaily, marketer at Les Vergers du Soleil, told FreshPlaza, "Due to extremely high temperatures at the end of June/beginning of July, we were unable to reach our forecasts. The grapes were lighter than expected, and we lost significant volumes due to heat stress. As a grower, it's always difficult to stop harvesting when fruit is still hanging on the vines, but it's often the right thing to do."
She adds: "Condition problems resulting from long periods of high temperatures are a well-known factor. This season, in addition to the heat waves at harvest time, the loss of volumes is also due to the warm winter we experienced, with a drop in fertility and water availability."
Climate conditions also affected the quality of certain varieties, such as red seedless, which were available in abundance but with a quality that failed to stimulate demand. White seedless varieties, on the other hand, were of good quality this season, according to the exporter.
According to Elana, volume losses were around 20% compared with the previous season. But the campaign could have been worse. Morocco's record-breaking heat wave in August, exceeding the 50-degree mark, came at a time when grape growers had already finished harvesting. "Early on, the weather was more kind, and we were able to harvest and pack in more favorable conditions."
The milder weather conditions at the start of the campaign favored the early varieties, Elana adds. "Early varieties such as Early Sweet, ARRA Passion Fire, and ARRA Sugar Drop were the workhorses of the season."
And this is to be taken into consideration by growers in varietal selection for the seasons to come. The exporter explains, "We think it's important not to dismiss older varieties like Early Sweet and Sugraone. These varieties remain robust in extreme conditions. After harvesting and storage, the good stem condition is a plus. That said, we're constantly looking for new varietal choices and understand the crucial importance of finding varieties that work in our region and are also in demand from the client's side."
On the commercial front, lower volumes were offset by higher, stable prices even at the end of the campaign. Elana says: "Prices were better than last season and didn't drop at the end, as is normally the case. There was good demand for seedless whites throughout the season".
The commercial success, despite the difficulty in production, is attributable in part to the fact that weather conditions have also affected competition throughout the Mediterranean region, causing a shortage in the market. Egypt, one of Morocco's biggest competitors in the European market, was particularly hit.
According to Elana, Morocco has a great advantage and can catch up with Egypt, "Egyptians can grow good quality grapes like any of our competitors. The key for Morocco is our ability to get the freshest grapes on the market. We can ship to Spain within 24 hours and pack on demand. It's not uncommon for one truck to carry up to seven different types of packaging, from boxes to weights, trays, and labels. Moroccan grapes can be shipped in their final packaging, ready to go straight into the stores, as ordered."
Moroccan growers can, therefore, capitalize on this regional context and leverage Morocco's potential in the grape market. It's already happening, says Elana, "We're seeing a lot of interest from new growers to plant grapes (mainly citrus growers looking to diversify). As one of the few commercial grape producers in Morocco, we see this as very positive. Our industry is very small, and additional volumes of Moroccan grapes will help us consolidate our position in a very important window before the start of the European grape season."
For more information:
Elana Shabaily
Les Vergers du Soleil
Tel.: +212661251169
Email: [email protected]
www.lesvergersdusoleil.com
