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Rabat – In a bid to offset the sharp drop in Morocco’s cereal harvest, the North African country’s imports of soft wheat from France are forecasted to stand at 4.5-5 million tonnes in 2023.
The head of the Maghreb region at Intercereales Yann Lebeau has said that Morocco imported over one million tonnes of soft wheat from France this summer and is expected to purchase up to 2.5 million tonnes by the end of the year.
Morocco has faced this year its worst drought in three decades. As a result, the country’s cereal harvest was slashed by 67% to stand at 3.4 million tonnes. The production of soft wheat, Morocco’s main staple, reached 1.89 million this year.
Such a significant drop in domestic production called for increasing soft wheat imports which usually average at 3 million tonnes per year over the past decade.
Faced with a sharp cut in local production and notable disruptions in supply chains from Russia and Ukraine due to the ongoing war, Morocco has been looking for alternative markets to meet domestic demands and protect citizens’ purchasing power.
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Among the considered markets are France and India. France has notably worked on increasing its exports to the North African country given the rising demand. However, early summer reports warned that the heat waves in the European country might lower productivity and thus have a severe impact on food security in North Africa.
Meanwhile, India, which was initially willing to increase its production to meet global demand, reversed its policy in May to curb soaring food commodities at home.
In July, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said it expects Moroccan cereal imports to reach 10.4 million tonnes in the next season, up 35% from the 2021/22 average.
The FAO’s report added that 60% of Morocco’s cereal imports are soft and durum wheat originating from the European Union, Argentina, Brazil, and Canada.
