Rabat – The value of fish products in the Moroccan market has gone up by 36%, according to the latest data from Morocco’s National Fishing Office (ONP).
The same period saw a 3% year-over-year increase in the volume of fish products on the Moroccan market, amounting to 1.3 million tonnes, ONP noted.
Cephalopods’ market value rose by 85% over the same period, crustaceans rose by 49%, white fish rose by 16%, and pelagic fish hiked by 6%.
The rising value of the aforementioned products offset the decrease in the market value of shellfish, down by 21%, and seaweed, down by 7%, detailed the ONP report.
Regarding annual portal productivity, the office notes that Moroccan ports on the Atlantic coastline registered an annual total yield of 1.3 million tonnes at the end of December 2021, marking a 3% year-on-year increase. The same ports recorded annual gross revenues of MAD 8.42 billion in December 2020, indicating a 35% hike compared to the same period in the previous year.
Moroccan ports on the Mediterranean sea saw a decline in productivity in 2021, recording 19.397 tonnes yield, down by 1% year-on-year. However, the rising market value of fish products dwarfed the decline in yield, as revenues reached MAD 682.12 million, up by 41% from 2020.
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Taken together, the figures from ONP show that Morocco’s fisheries industry continued to grow throughout 2021 despite the COVID-induced economic fallout.
Morocco is Africa’s largest, and the world’s 13th largest seafood exporter, with the industry expected to grow by 18.2% over the coming eight years, according to a 2018 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Morocco’s exports of fish products are forecasted to grow by 0.6% by 2030, FAO data indicates.
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