Moroccan Farmers Turn to Spanish Olive Varieties Amid Drought Crisis

Scarcity and decline of irrigation water, as well as successive heat waves, decline in the productivity of olive oil farms in El Kelaâ des Sraghna, in the Marrakech-Safi region, as well as the surroundings of Béni Mellal and Sefrou, rise in the price of olive oil exceeding 100 dirhams per liter, drying of olive leaves... Faced with this gloomy picture, Moroccan farmers are now opting for various foreign varieties, in particular the "Arbosana" and the "Spanish Arbequina", in order to obtain a better yield.

"Many farmers in the region take advantage of this period, during which they grow cucurbits, to plant olive tree seedlings, since they must in any case bear the costs of irrigation and fertilizers. These plants become productive trees in just two years, especially the Arbequina variety," says Miloud Er-Rammah, a farmer in the Chichaoua region, to Hespress. According to his explanations, this foreign variety "is favored by many growers, because it allows intensive planting. While one hectare can accommodate 1,200 Arbequina plants, it can only contain 340 plants of the local Picholine variety".

Another advantage, this variety offers a higher yield in terms of olive oil compared to local varieties. As for water consumption, "the Arbequina can be drip-irrigated, unlike the Picholine, which requires traditional flooding irrigation," adds the farmer. For his part, Riyad Ouhatitta, an agricultural expert and certified consultant, specifies: "while we can plant between 400 and 500 local plants per hectare, whose production starts from the fourth year after planting, it is possible to plant between 1,600 and 2,000 Arbequina plants. (...) The density of this variety, which adapts to different climatic conditions, increases production".

According to his explanations, "the Arbequina has been present in Morocco for at least fifteen years; but the shortage of olive tree seedlings that the kingdom has experienced in recent years has led farmers to turn more to this variety, as well as to other foreign varieties, such as the Greek Koroneiki variety, whose quality is close to that of local varieties."

The expert will add: "The Arbequina and Arbosana are known for their precocity: while local varieties are harvested from the end of October, the harvests of these two varieties start as early as the end of September".