2023 witnessed a paradigm shift for Morocco, a stalwart in the global fresh fruit arena, as fruit import volumes surged to an unparalleled 123,000 tons. This development, prompted by adverse climatic conditions, reflects Morocco’s endeavor to satiate rising domestic demand.
EastFruit’s data unveils a significant upturn in fruit imports into Morocco, with bananas leading the pack at 28,000 tons, underscoring the nation’s pivot towards compensating domestic consumption through imports.
This reliance extends to sourcing from South America and the Atlantic islands of Spain and Portugal, which now furnish up to half of Morocco’s banana needs. Remarkably, this import reliance emerges despite Morocco’s substantial annual banana production of around 350,000 tons.
The ascendancy of banana imports occurred at the detriment of pears, witnessing a precipitous 42% drop to 28,000 tons. Yevhen Kuzin of EastFruit attributes this shift to strategic adjustments in banana sourcing due to Latin American supply constraints, with Spain and Portugal becoming alternate sources.
Kuzin further elaborates on the global banana trade’s hurdles, including climatic uncertainties, escalating production expenses, and disease menaces like TR4.
The contraction in pear imports is largely ascribed to unfavorable climatic conditions in Spain and Portugal, pivotal suppliers to Morocco.
Concurrently, avocado imports leaped by 74%, totaling 13.6 thousand tons, paralleling Morocco’s ascendancy as a key global avocado exporter. Peru emerges as the primary avocado import source.
Pineapple imports reached a zenith of 11.5 thousand tons, primarily procured from Costa Rica, Ivory Coast, and Ghana, marking a historic milestone.
Contrastingly, kiwi and apple imports dwindled, whereas persimmons, watermelons, and plums saw substantial growth. Notably, Morocco imported 6.7 thousand tons of persimmons, 770 tons of plums chiefly from Spain, and 2.2 thousand tons of watermelons, mainly from Mauritania.
Despite the vicissitudes wrought by adverse weather conditions, Morocco’s adept import strategy has been pivotal in stabilizing the domestic fresh fruit supply, ensuring continuous accessibility for its populace amidst a turbulent global market.
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