Despite the citrus export season ending in June, Moroccan farmers have seen their production targets decrease. They are expecting a harvest of about 1.9 million tons, compared to 2.2 million tons the previous year. Exports have also decreased, reaching 485,000 tons in 2015 compared to 569,000 tons in 2014.
Faced by the plummeting rouble in Russia, Morocco’s main export destination, they have turned to the American market. They intend to strengthen their citrus exports to the USA over the next few years, it is a market that takes in 25% of their citrus exports, compared to 55% in Russia and 20% in the EU.
The internal market consumes 70% of production, and professional’s from the sector intend to stand up to factors undermining it. They intend to reduce the number of intermediaries between the producer and final consumer, and strengthen local fruit processing capacities.