Morocco is on the way to becoming one of the main destinations for wheat from the European Union, with plans to import 1.5 million tonnes there in the coming months. Details.
In a context of supply chain troubles, Morocco is trying to adapt. Impacted, like other countries, by the consequences of the war in Ukraine, the Kingdom had to review the hierarchy of its suppliers. According to data revealed by Reuters, Morocco calls on the European Union to meet its needs. The Kingdom has become the leading export destination for European wheat during the 2022-2023 campaign.
Given the effects of the drought, Morocco plans to increase its imports to meet its needs. According to the same source, our country plans to import an additional 1.5 million tons of common wheat between March and May.
Thanks to this dazzling increase in its demand, Morocco has positioned itself as one of the main destinations for wheat from the EU in the region, thus overtaking Algeria.
France remains one of the main European suppliers of common wheat, which is able to meet the needs of importers in North African countries thanks to an export surplus. Reuters reports that “Sustained demand from Morocco, together with strong sales to Algeria, China and Egypt, helped France, the EU’s largest wheat producer, to sell most an export surplus outside the EU estimated at just over 10 million tonnes”.
“The French market did better selling a lot at the start of the season,” one trader said. France remains an essential supplier of the Kingdom which could increase its imports up to 5 million tons at the end of the current year according to the head of the Maghreb in the “intercereals” group, Yann Lebeau.
Recall that the use of European countries with production surpluses is explained by the desire of countries, including Morocco, to avoid disruptions in the transport of wheat to the Black Sea because of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict knowing that uncertainties hover on the extension of the cereals agreement.
