When it comes to avocado production, Morocco isn’t really the first country you have in mind. The worldwide avocado sector is very competitive, with produce usually coming from Latin American countries such as Chile, Mexico, Colombia and Peru. The Moroccan season for Hass avocados takes place between January and April. The Moroccan season overlaps with the one in Spain and Moroccan avocados tend to be similar to Spanish ones.The production of Hass avocados is a relative new sector for Morocco. 70% of all Moroccan avocado growers have less than seven years of experience with Hass-avocado’s. The upside to having such a young group of producing companies is that young trees tend to produce bigger sizes than old ones. Though Moroccan growers lack the knowledge of competitors and even though Chilean growers finish their seasons earlier, Moroccan growers manage to get prices for their produce that are similar to those found in other producing countries.
Weather plays a big role in avocado production. Recently, Moroccan producers were challenged by adverse weather conditions. Avocados require rain, which helps to enhance the oil content and stimulates the ripening of the fruit. Late rains are usually considered by growers as a good thing. In the past season, some growing regions didn’t saw any rain at all, while others even experienced frost, which can be devastating for the harvest of avocados.
Given the various Latin American competitors, as well as competition from Spain and countries like Kenya, it is difficult for Moroccan growers to set a price for their produce. According to most Moroccan growers, the demand is definitely there. While they reckon it’s still too early to predict the prices, they are generally optimistic about the coming season.