Although production is expected to fall by a fifth, exports are likely to decline by only 7 per cent
Moroccan citrus production is anticipated to decline by 20 per cent in the 2026/27 campaign to approximately 1.8mn tonnes, according to Kacem Bennani Smires, president of producer-exporter Delassus and interprofessional organisation Maroc Citrus.
Bennani Smires attributed the drop in production to the extreme heat experienced during the summer, when temperatures reached a high of 46C between mid-May and mid-July, as well as to floods in the Gharb.
However, thanks to better fruit sizes, exports should reach around 540,000 tonnes, he told Médias24, a fall of just 7 per cent.
Morocco sends around 38 per cent of its citrus to Europe, North Africa Post reported, followed by Russia (17 per cent), Canada and the US (15 per cent each) and Africa 12-14 per cent. Together, the UK, the Netherlands and France account for more than 30 per cent.
As competition intensifies across Morocco’s main markets, approaches have reportedly been made to markets including China, Japan, Indonesia, Brazil and India.
According to Bennani Smires, fierce competition from Egypt and Turkey is a major challenge, with Turkey increasing easy peeler production from 2mn tonnes to over 3mn, as are high costs of inputs and transportation, and labour shortages.
North Africa Post noted that Morocco’s citrus production area has shrunk by nearly 34,000ha over the past decade, especially in Tadla and the Oriental, after drought forced orchards to be abandoned.
Bennani Smires said recovery would depend on how quickly the state’s irrigation projects, such as new dams and desalination plants, could be delivered.
