Organic Food Demand Surges in Morocco Amid Health Concerns

Organic farming in Morocco is still a niche that is starting to grow and is mobilizing exporters, reports La Map. These producers do not lack ingenuity to initiate personal cooperatives. For the president of the Organic Entrepreneurs Club (CEBio), Slim Kabbaj, organic foods are now the food of choice for consumers in search of healthy and clean food in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to him, this choice is justified by the fact that organic production responds to a health issue. "The link was automatically made by the Moroccan consumer, who did not hesitate to turn to these organic products," said the president of the CEBio.

According to Slim Kabbaj, "a 10% increase has been noted over the past five years, particularly with the opening of more and more sales outlets" (local markets, pharmacies or parapharmacies). As for production, he maintains that there is a slight increase in local (fresh) products, especially with fruits and vegetables.

Regarding exports, interesting progress in organic processing has been noted. According to him, significant progress has been made in certain sectors, particularly in the cultivation of pomegranate, grapes and goji berries, which sell very well in Germany and England, thanks to innovative organic entrepreneurs.

As for the challenges to be met in the sector, the government must imperatively "put in place innovative support for the development of Organic outside the establishment of a solid, rigorous and sustainable public-private partnership", capable of "structuring the fabric of organic production in Morocco". The other challenge to be met concerns the need for human resources in the organic sector, sometimes forcing producers to give up on their ambitions.