Morocco will grow far more citrus fruits than it will consume in the next five years but will not produce as much wheat and other cereals as Moroccans eat.
Rabat – Morocco is set to produce a large surplus of citrus and dairy between the years 2019 and 2025, reports AgriMaroc. The country will produce 1.5 times the citrus and more than twice the dairy that Moroccans consume annually.
Morocco will also have a 53% surplus in egg production beyond consumption needs, 44% in white meat production, 41% in potato production, 20% in tomato production, and 18% in red meat production.
At the same time, the country is set to experience a shortage in cereals.
To increase wheat imports and meet the population’s consumption demands of cereals, Morocco has announced a suspension of tariffs on “common wheat and its derivatives” for the four months of January to April 2020.
Earlier this year, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization announced that irregular rain patterns in the first three months of the year “decreased yield potential” of wheat in Morocco.
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Morocco also expects to see a deficit in olive oil production compared to consumption. According to a 2012 report from the International Olive Council, 75% of Moroccan olives are turned into olive oil.
The Green Morocco Plan established programs in egg, white meat, and red meat production, all of which are set to experience surpluses in the next five years. Morocco’s agricultural sector accounts for 19% of the country’s gross domestic product, according to government figures.
