Rabat – The citrus fruit sector in Morocco is finally on the road to recovery after months of battling with adverse weather conditions, media outlet FreshPlaza reported on March 22.
Morocco warmly welcomed the heavy rain in February and March, which helped revive the fresh produce sector after months of drought and has brought back hopes for the next agricultural season, said Mouad Hfa, Managing Director of Pro Prim, a Morocco-based agri-food producer and exporter.
Although rainfall arrived in Morocco last year later than expected, the quantity of the downpours made up for lost time and helped improve the quality of “fruits that are now in flower,” Hfa explained.
To ensure quality, fruit growers are limiting the amount of fruit that is grown per tree to increase the size and quality of the fruit produced, the managing director detailed.
Hfa said he remains optimistic about the prospects of Morocco’s current agricultural season, noting: “If meteorological conditions continue to improve, we hope to return back to the levels of citrus volumes experienced in the 2020-2021 season.”
Even though the production capacity from the 2020-2021 season did not hit maximum targets “it was much better than the current season,” Hfa stressed.
Water levels in Morocco’s Souss-Massa region were in a state of crisis, according to the director. “Around ten years ago it was enough to dig 20 meters deep to reach water in a well, now they have to dig around 250-300 meters,” he explained.
With such drastic changes in water levels, Hfa said that rainfall is welcome regardless of the season and no matter the quantity. Citrus fruit production was reduced by half this season in Morocco.
As water levels have been reaching new lows, producers in the Souss-Massa region have become dependent on the water desalination plant in the Chtouka-Ait Baha region which has been operating since January 2022.
Moroccan Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka, recently highlighted Morocco’s dam construction capabilities, noting the country is home to over 152 dams — with 16 new dams already being constructed.
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