“As of January 7, 2024, Morocco exported 30,000 tonnes of avocados for the 2023-2024 season. We reached a peak in production and demand during the second week of January, and we estimate that today, two months from the end of the campaign, exports reached between 42,000 and 45,000 tonnes or 70% of the objective of 60,000 tonnes that we set ourselves. This objective represents a new absolute record in terms of volumes exports and symbolizes the performance of the sector in Morocco”, assures the president of Morocco Avocado Association, Abdellah Elyamlahi, in a statement to the specialized site Fresh Plaza.
Exporting 60,000 tonnes of avocados this season is no easy feat. Unfavorable factors, both natural and commercial, followed one another from the start of the season, he says. In October, Storm Bernard hit the country’s Atlantic coast, notably in Larache, the heart of Moroccan avocado production. During this period, it was not easy for producers to agree on a price, and so the campaign began in the now classic way: speculation, late harvests, and a wait-and-see attitude. “Taking advantage of a shortage of fruit on the European market, many producers demanded excessive prices and continued to demand more and more, to the point of delaying exports, then slowing them down. Consumers could no longer keep up, which ultimately led to a drop in demand and a drop in prices in November,” he explained.
The main export destinations this season remain, unsurprisingly, the Netherlands and Spain, followed by Germany and France. This is a market configuration that has remained unchanged for years, according to the professional. There is also no change regarding the most popular fruit for export, which remains the Hass variety in sizes 20 to 22. On the local market, production volumes are sufficient to cover market needs.
Regarding restrictions on avocado production, while Morocco is experiencing another year of drought, the president of the Morocco Avocado Association remains calm. “The government has already taken and implemented the decision to suspend subsidies for irrigation facilities for avocado trees, among other crops. But I do not think that the restrictions will go beyond this measure. The drought is indeed hitting hard the South of the country, but in the North, where most of the production is located, we benefit from good rainfall and enormous groundwater reserves.
