The weather in northern Morocco has stabilized after several episodes of strong winds, cold spells, and storms. Temperatures are conducive to better blueberry yields, and the long-delayed peak harvest is expected in the first week of April, according to Zouhir Disouria, CEO of Global First Greenland.
The grower says, "Our plants have been able to recover after long periods of stress. The weather is currently excellent for blueberries, with pleasant warmth. We're seeing good flowering right now and generous bunches. The fruit is already available in large quantities, and we're on track to finally reach the season's peak harvests starting in the first week of April."
According to Disouria, the peak harvest season coincides with a favorable market situation, despite the difficulty in reaching Russian and Asian customers. He explains, "European demand is strong, and the order books are full. This translates into good prices in this market, even higher than last season's.
However, air freight costs have risen significantly to Gulf and Asian countries, such as Hong Kong, Singapore, and Thailand. It will be difficult to ship to these countries during the war. In addition, China has a stranglehold on the Russian market due to lower logistics costs than ours," he adds.
© Zouhir Disouria
Moroccan blueberries face strong competition from China and Egypt this season. However, according to Disouria, Moroccan production is inherently competitive but has been weakened by adverse climate conditions this season. "It's still too early to talk about Egyptian competition, as production in that country is still in its early stages and volumes remain modest. However, we're starting to feel the pressure from Egypt this season. It's mainly China that's taking market share from Morocco this season, but that's due to an exceptional situation in Morocco where production has been weakened by weather conditions."
The blueberry season in Larache, in northern Morocco, is expected to run late this year, lasting until the end of May and even into June for the so-called strong varieties.
For more information:
Zouhir Disouria
Global First Green Land
Tel: +212661902434
Email: [email protected]
www.globalfirstgreenland.com
