Stakeholders from across Morocco's avocado sector gathered on October 14 in Larache for the first Moroccan Avocado Summit, held under the theme "Moroccan avocados: meeting the challenges and seizing the opportunities of the global market." The event was organized by the Moroccan Avocado Association (MAVA) in partnership with Export Optimum, CMGP-CAS, and the Agricultural Bank of Morocco.
© Youness Bensaid | FreshPlaza.com
The event, which was attended by 240 industry professionals, most of whom were producers, focused on improving productivity at a time when the yield of Moroccan avocados per hectare is still low in the country. The importance of sustainability was a key topic, as the industry is "unfairly" accused of "wasting water in times of drought," according to professionals.
Abdellah Elyamlahi, president of MAVA, addressed the future challenges facing the sector, particularly competition. He declared on the sidelines of the event: "More and more countries are intensifying avocado cultivation and entering the international market with seasons that overlap with the Moroccan season. For us, competitiveness means improving productivity in order to increase Moroccan production volumes, as well as sustainability, which is a very important issue at the moment. The carbon footprint and energy costs of avocados are the subject of much debate and are undergoing legislation and standardization in our markets, particularly in European retail. It is important to prepare in advance so that we are not caught off guard when these issues become law."
© Youness Bensaid | FreshPlaza.com
Abdellah Elyamlahi, president of MAVA
The avocado summit was also an opportunity to share best practices with producers in order to tackle the most pressing phytosanitary issues. El Yamlahi said, "Competitiveness also requires high-quality production. We are working to push the boundaries and reach the upper limits of Class I within three years."
Abdelkrim Allaoui, president of the association of avocado producers in the Gharb region, highlighted the national context of the industry. The producers' representative said: "The industry is unfairly blamed by public opinion for wasting water resources, which is completely untrue, and we cannot remain in this ambiguity. We must explain to people that avocado trees do not consume more water than other widely grown and exported products, and that avocado trees in Morocco do not consume drinking water. We also have other urgent issues to address, such as the insufficient number of homologated plant protection products as well as the network of analysis laboratories."
© Youness Bensaid | FreshPlaza.comAbdelkrim Allaoui, president of the Association of Avocado Growers in the Gharb
The event featured Rafael Puelma, Ambassador of the Republic of Chile to Rabat, as the guest of honor. Chile, which competes directly with Morocco in the avocado sector, faces similar climate challenges, such as a ten-year drought. However, this year has brought a marked improvement in weather conditions, increasing production forecasts to 250,000 tons of avocados in the upcoming season, 43% of which will be destined for the local market, according to the ambassador.
Looking ahead to the coming season, which is experiencing significant volume losses due to summer heat waves, Mr. Elamlahi said that the export target was 80,000 tons. In addition to volume losses, there is another commercial challenge, namely the excessive presence of small and medium-sized avocados.
For more information:
Abdellah Elyamlahi
Moroccan Avocado Association (MAVA)
Tel. : +212 678732391
Email: [email protected]
Abdelkrim Allaoui
Association of avocado growers in the Gharb
Tel: +212 672-077375
Email: [email protected]
