The olive harvest in Morocco turns into a headache

The national olive groves are experiencing unusual activity at the beginning of this month of February. According to the Moroccan Interprofessional Federation of Olive (FIMO), the current harvest is continuing well beyond the usual deadlines, which normally end at the end of January. While this year’s production is described as a record after seven years of drought, its completion is facing major climatic and logistical obstacles.

The president of FIMO points out, to Hespress, that the interruptions caused by the heavy rains since December have considerably slowed down the picking. At the same time, the sector is facing a scarcity of seasonal labor unable to absorb such volumes. This tension in the labor market has led to a surge in costs, with the daily rate of a worker now reaching 200 dirhams in the regions of Kalaat Sraghna, Taounate or Ouezzane.

This situation worries agronomists because the maintenance of the fruits on the branches deprives the olive trees of their essential rest period. Experts fear that the depletion of the tree’s resources this year will lead to a drastic drop in yield for the 2027 season, accentuating the natural phenomenon of alternation. The challenge of the coming weeks will be to close the campaign as quickly as possible to preserve the future viability of the national orchard.