The Moroccan soft citrus season has begun amid persistently challenging weather conditions, yet producers demonstrate greater resilience. The loss of acreage to several consecutive years of drought, combined with a trend towards smaller fruit sizes, has not stopped Moroccan soft citrus fruits, particularly mandarins and clementines, from enjoying spectacular commercial performance. In the Nadorcott variety alone, for instance, 325,000 tonnes were exported from Morocco in the 2024/25 season, marking a 43.81% increase on the previous season.
© Orbis
The 2025/26 season brings some changes, but the overall direction remains unchanged, with a continued focus on soft citrus fruits rather than oranges in the context of climate and competition-induced challenges. Clementines are no exception. Although mandarins have performed better in terms of exports last season, clementines, which mark the start of the soft citrus season, are enjoying sustained demand on the local market, where prices are at times equally attractive. Lisa Delay Alcaraz, commercial director of the agricultural division at Orbis Agro Industry, shares her insights on what to expect for clementines this season.
Adverse climate continues to cut volumes
On the production front, adverse weather conditions have led to a further decline in clementine volumes in Morocco. Lisa says: "We're looking at a 12% drop in volumes compared to last season, as well as a 15-day delay to the start of the campaign. We therefore kicked off the season at the end of September with the Marisol variety. Exports will continue until mid-December with the Sidi Aissa variety. In between, other well-known varieties will account for most of the volumes, including Bruno, Esbal, Orogrande, and Nules."
© Orbis
The grower explains that persistent drought, coupled with climatic events, is behind the volume cuts: "The heat waves in May and June occurred during flowering and fruit set, which is the most crucial period for the tree. Temperatures reaching 42°C stressed the trees in the orchards, causing them to produce poor fruit set and then shed their fruit. This caused the fruit to fall and delayed the growth of the remaining fruit. Furthermore, the 15% drop in rainfall across the kingdom did not help growth.
Unsurprisingly, the overall trend is towards a season of smaller sizes, according to the grower. She adds, "Delays and growth disruptions have led to a 2-4 mm decrease in size. At Orbis Agri Industry, however, we are faring better thanks to the location of our orchard in the Gharb region, renowned for its fertile soil and abundant water, where we operate on a 500-hectare area yielding over 12,000 tonnes of clementines and 10,000 tonnes of oranges. Thanks to this decisive advantage, we have been able to maintain good sizing and excellent quality this season. We also pair this fortunate location with significant investments in the most innovative agricultural technologies and techniques to tackle the challenges of climate change and ensure the sustainability of our production in terms of both quality and quantity."
© Orbis
Rewarding business prospects
On the commercial side, the outlook is promising thanks to the security offered by solid domestic demand. "More delicate than its cousin, the mandarin, the clementine is less resistant to long-distance shipping, which limits its ability to reach remote markets. The traditional market for Moroccan clementines remains Europe. However, thanks to improved maritime links and increasingly efficient logistics, new markets have emerged, particularly in West Africa, Russia, and Canada. These high-potential markets nevertheless require increased vigilance due to a lack of cold storage facilities at the destination, as is the case in West Africa, and due to the long journeys to Russia and Canada, which present a higher risk of quality deterioration."
"At the same time, Morocco's domestic market is experiencing spectacular growth. With a population of 38 million and over 13 million tourists, it is now a strategic alternative, offering prices similar to export prices but with much lower, if not virtually non-existent risk," Lisa concludes.
For more information:
Lisa Delay Alcaraz
Orbis Group
Tel : +212 667-777143
Email: [email protected]
www.orbisagroindustry.ma/en/
