Drought-Stricken Morocco Turns to France and Russia for Wheat Imports

3 October 2024 – byPrince@Bladi · 1 min read

The severe drought that has been affecting Morocco for more than five years is impacting its agricultural production and forcing it to increase its imports of French, but also Russian, wheat.

The wheat sector is one of the most affected by the persistent drought that has been hitting Morocco for almost six years. The rise in temperatures and the scarcity of rainfall have led to a drastic drop in Moroccan cereal production in recent years. To offset this decline, Morocco has announced that it will source more wheat from France and Russia.

In a statement to a French media outlet on Tuesday, Omar Yacoubi, president of the National Federation of Cereal and Legume Traders (FNCL), indicated that Russia could become Morocco’s leading supplier of soft wheat this season, dethroning France, which has held this position for several years.

Russia was already in 2023 the second largest exporter of wheat to Morocco, behind France. This year, Morocco has increased its imports of soft wheat until August in order to cover the kingdom’s needs.

Category: Morocco

Keywords:

France Russia Imports Exports Agriculture Drought in Morocco