Rabat – A new report from the US Department of Agriculture indicates Morocco’s cereal yields for the 2021-2022 year are substantially higher than average, and the country will import less wheat from the international market than in 2020.
According to the report, “Moroccan wheat imports are expected to return to normal levels in the 2021-2022 year,” and are expected not to exceed 4.5 million tons (-13.5%) compared to last year.
The department forecasts that Morocco will import 4.5 million MT, primarily from common wheat suppliers in France, Ukraine, and Russia.
Meanwhile, Canada is expected to remain Morocco’s primary durum wheat supplier.
The Moroccan National Interprofessional Office of Cereals and Pulses (ONICL) issued an import tender for 363,636 MT of common wheat from the United States, however, the report emphasizes that US wheat remains “priced out” in the Moroccan market, largely due to limited supply.
Also indicated in the report is that national yields in wheat and barley increased to 5.06 MMT of common wheat, 2.48 MMT of durum wheat, and 2.78 MMT of barley in 2021,
“This harvest performance is mainly due to abundant rainfall during the growing season, which was 32 percent higher than the previous year,” it said. “The growing regions of Chaouia, Abda, Haouz, Tadla, and Sais recorded higher yields 44% above the ten-year average.”
The ministry of agriculture forecasts the agricultural added value to reach $14 billion (MAD 130 billion), which would translate into a growth of more than 18%.
Moroccan officials have already reported an increase in crop yields earlier this year. With rising global food indexes, Morocco will likely gain greater regional influence as a producer of staple crops, while decreasing dependence on foreign grain imports.
