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Rabat – Morocco exported 19,000 tonnes of table olives to the United States in the first half of 2022.
A recent report from the Office of Economic and Commercial Affairs of the Greek Embassy in New York, cited by the Olive Oil Times, found that Morocco is the third-largest exporter of table olives to the States, after Spain and Greece.
Spanish exports of table olives to the US exceeded 63,000 tonnes in the first half of this year while Greece exported a total of 57,000 tonnes in the same period. Italy took the fourth position with 11,000 tonnes.
In 2020, Moroccan table olive exports to the US represented 21% of the country’s total exports estimated at 89,000 tonnes, according to the Center for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Morocco was also the world’s third-largest exporter of table olives, behind Spain and Greece, with 70% of produced olives destined for exports. France represented the export market for 38% of Moroccan production, ahead of other European countries such as Belgium (13%) and Spain (8%).
“The main reason for the significant quantities exported to France are the large investments by French companies in the production of table olives in Morocco,” the Dutch center explained.
Read Also: Olive Production in Morocco to Increase by 21% in 2022
Last year, Moroccan olive production surged to 1.9 million tonnes, marking a 21% increase compared to the 2020-2021 agricultural campaign.
In January, the President of the Moroccan professional organization of olive producers (Interprolive) Rachid Benali explained that the increase in local production resulted from “favorable climatic conditions with a rainfall of 309 millimeters” as well as an increase in olive oil plantations in line with the Green Generation plan for 2020-2030.
In parallel with the increase in table olive production, Morocco saw significant growth in olive oil production, during both last season and this season. The European Commission forecasted in August a 25% or 40,000 tonnes increase in Moroccan olive oil production by the end of 2022.
A month later, Morocco’s Agriculture Ministry reported that the country’s olive oil exports were valued at MAD 456 million ($41 million) in 2022, up by 47% compared to last year.
The ministry associated the “good performance” in olive oil exports with the “strong demand on major international markets.”
