Morocco’s citrus production is experiencing a setback, leading to a MAD 2 billion export loss. At a meeting examining the situation of citrus fruits’ exports as of November 23, 2019, the Technical Committee of the Association of Citrus Producers (Regional ASPAM of Souss Massa) has said that citrus fruit production has significantly declined, impacting negatively on the 2018-2019 citrus exports campaign.
The 2018-2019 season was characterized by a 50% drop in citrus production on average, and a drop of 75% in regions such as Souss Massa. Field professionals are estimating an export loss of MAD 2 billion. The decline is mainly due to high temperatures during the month of August.
The ASPAM pointed out that the significant decline will also impact the export of small citrus fruits, as seen at the beginning of the season for different varieties of mandarins and clementines.
In the Souss Massa region, where 30% of the region is reserved for growing citrus fruits, professionals projected that the volume of exports of clementines will not exceed 42,000 tons compared to 187,000 tons in the 2017-2018 campaign.
As of November 23, 2019, Morocco exported only 8,000 tonnes out of the planned 42,000. The Russian market received 50% of the exports while the North American countries received 30% and only 12% went to the European Union markets.
[ MAD 1 = €0.09 ]
Source: moroccoworldnews.com
