Morocco’s Chinese Tea Imports Plummet 46% Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Moroccan companies have drastically reduced the volume of their imports of Chinese tea. According to data from the Ministry of Industry, it is noted that during the first quarter, i.e. between January and the end of March, less than 13,000 tons of tea were imported from China, for 362 million dirhams, compared to 24,000 tons for 656 million dirhams during the same period last year.

This drop in the volume of Moroccan imports of Chinese tea could be explained by "the coronavirus pandemic that started in China and the strengthening of Morocco’s health control measures on its food imports".

The kingdom is China’s leading customer for tea. In 2019, 30% of China’s 364,000 tons of exports were destined for Morocco.