Sign up for our daily Newsletter and stay up to date with all the latest news!

Subscribe I am already a subscriber

You are using software which is blocking our advertisements (adblocker).

As we provide the news for free, we are relying on revenues from our banners. So please disable your adblocker and reload the page to continue using this site.
Thanks!

Click here for a guide on disabling your adblocker.

Sign up for our daily Newsletter and stay up to date with all the latest news!

Subscribe I am already a subscriber

Half of Moroccan avocados not yet harvested

The Moroccan avocado campaign was launched more than three months ago, but exports have been slow. Growers were unsatisfied with market prices and decided to wait since avocados can be stored on the tree.

Abdelkrim Allaoui, president of the avocado growers' association in the north-western Gharb region, explains, "The season began with inadequate market prices, even lower than last season. Many growers, especially those with large operations who can afford to wait, have not yet harvested. At present, half the fruits remain on the trees. This approach has paid off, as prices are currently improving."

The drop in prices at the start of the season was driven by the abundant supply on the European market from Latin America. Buyers also pushed down prices for Moroccan avocados, according to industry sources in Morocco, aware that volumes had increased considerably compared to last season. Allaoui says, "It's true that there's been a big production, and that's due to the maturation of trees planted a few years ago."

According to Allaoui, the bulk of the remaining half of production consists of the Hass variety in large sizes, which augurs well for prices. He adds, "The local market, for its part, is pulling in significant volumes, up to 18 thousand tonnes, especially as the month of Ramadan and summer approach."

In this first half of the campaign, there has been no change in the destinations for Moroccan avocados, according to Allaoui. "Spain and France remain our biggest markets, followed by the UK, Italy, Germany, and other European countries."

Is the market trend moving towards lower prices for Moroccan avocados? "Certainly not," replies Allaoui. "Volumes have increased season after season over the last ten years, but we're approaching saturation point. In two or three seasons, the surface area will reach its limit. The way forward for the industry will therefore be to increase productivity and strive for higher quality."

Acreage saturation is exacerbated by the difficulty of developing avocado cultivation in other regions. Allaoui explains, "There have been shy trials, more or less successful, but the bulk of production areas remain in the regions of Gharb to Loukkos, or the Bouznika/Larache axis on the Atlantic coast, for climatic reasons. It's difficult to increase the surface area beyond 10,000 hectares."

According to the growers' representative, the biggest constraint for the industry in Morocco is "the misconception widespread in public opinion that avocados are an industry that dilapidates water resources."
He argues, "This false debate has resulted in the government withdrawing subsidies for avocado production. However, only 10,000 hectares of the 1.5 million hectares irrigated are used to grow avocados, we don't use drinking water, and we're the only fresh produce industry in the country that relies for 100% on drip irrigation."

"Apart from this perception, which we're trying to correct, we don't have any real concerns regarding production or marketing. There are no phytosanitary problems, quality improves from one season to the next, and the sector makes a considerable contribution to the local economy," Allaoui concludes.

For more information:
Abdelkrim Allaoui
Association of avocado growers in the Gharb
Tel: +212 672-077375
Email: [email protected]