Morocco’s Wine Industry Booms: Exports Hit 200 Million Dirhams Annually

This annual revenue from the wine sector for exports is the result of the efforts of five regions of the Kingdom. These exploit a total area of 43,106 hectares and provide the main income for 5,000 rural families.

According to vieeco.com, the production of the sector has exceeded the 400,000 ton mark to reach 427,138 tons this year, an increase of 24% compared to the previous campaign.

For Minister Akhannouch, "this manifestation reflects the efforts made since the launch of the Green Morocco Plan (PMV) for the promotion of the sector in the province of Benslimane and for the development of the capacities and potentials of this region in the production of grapes both in terms of exploitable areas and the quality of production".

According to the same source, the volume created by the sector is close to six million working days per year in the maintenance of plantations and activities related to the processing, packaging and marketing of production. The Minister nevertheless recalls that "the wine sector has an important socio-economic character".

The same media reports that the area under vines, for the 2017-2018 agricultural season (43,106 ha), is divided between 36,178 ha of table grapes and 6,928 ha of wine grapes, representing respectively 84% and 16% of the total area.

By region, table grapes are shared in particular in the regions of Casablanca-Settat (41%), Marrakech-Safi (24%), Rabat-Salé-Kénitra (11%), Fès-Meknès (10%) and the Oriental (7%). The total average grape production, for its part, stood at 357,000 tons per year (average of the last five campaigns).