Rabat – During the 2020-2021 agricultural campaign, Morocco forecasts the production of the three main kinds of cereal, namely soft wheat, durum wheat, and barley, to reach 98 million quintals (Mqx), an increase of 206% compared to the last season.
The ministry said that it has sowed 4.35 million hectares with wheat grains to obtain the desired production levels.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests, Morocco’s cereal production over the last five years is an average of 63.3 Mqx.
The three cereals, soft wheat, durum wheat, and barley, are projected to reach production levels of 48.2 Mqx, 23.4 Mqx, and 36 Mqx, respectively.
The 2020-2021 campaign shows promising indicators with the yield forecast 10% higher than the average yield of the five best cereal seasons (20.1qx/hectares) since 2008.
The good performance of this year’s agricultural season, in particular cereal production, is owed to the high volume of rainfall (291 mm total as of April 29) the country experienced which is 32% higher than last year’s rainfall.
“The precipitation of the current season was also characterized by continuity in time, good spatial distribution, and the occurrence of cereal development key stages (tillering, bolting, and filling).”
The relatively lower temperatures this year, compared to 2020, were also behind the improved forecast of good volumes of cereals production, according to the Ministry.
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The same source revealed that the other crops have presented promising figures including sugar beet, and the harvest campaign has already begun.
Citrus fruits and olive trees in the flowering stage also show good prospects but are contingent upon changing temperatures in May and June.
Given the good cereal season as well as the availability of fodder and the pasture, the food situation of the livestock has significantly improved since the start of the season, leading to a prompt recovery in the livestock sector after two seasons of drought, the ministry concluded.
