Avocados: After the records, the big chill for Moroccan exports

The current campaign shows a performance significantly lower than the 120,000 tons achieved during the previous season. According to a professional source contacted by Hespress, exporters hope to reach the threshold of 60,000 tons by injecting additional stocks into the European market by early April.

On Bladi.net: Morocco becomes the leading African exporter of avocados, 141,000 tons exported

This decline is first explained by losses suffered during the summer, as climatic variations led to the deterioration of significant volumes in the plantations. To these difficulties are added weather disturbances that caused the temporary closure of the port of Tanger Med, hindering the fluidity of exports.

The kingdom is also facing increased commercial pressure on its destination markets. "The pace of exports has been hampered by the intensity of competition after the flooding of European markets by avocados of Israeli origin," says the contact to justify this slowdown since October.

Despite the drop in shipments of smooth-skinned varieties such as "Fuerte," Morocco continues to send other varieties. The domestic market remains stable with an annual consumption of around 10,000 tons, a quantity deemed sufficient to meet local demand without major tension.

On Bladi.net: The Moroccan avocado breaks all records

The sector has come a long way, with a boom that began in 1988 on only three hectares in the Loukkos basin. Since then, the cultivation has expanded widely, reaching, for example, more than 640 hectares in the Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceïma region alone, according to figures from the Ministry of Agriculture.