The paradox of the olive in Morocco: a record harvest but tons of lost fruit

The national olive oil sector is facing a paradoxical situation. Although the harvest exceeded forecasts with 200,000 tons, leading to a halving of oil prices, many farmers were unable to complete the recovery of their fruit.

On Bladi.net: Olive oil in Morocco: Record harvest, but no one to pick

According to Hespress, considerable quantities of olives remained on the trees or were damaged. These losses are explained by the successive rains between December and February, combined with an unprecedented scarcity and increase in the cost of agricultural labor.

This unexpected abundance has also highlighted the weakness of storage capacities. Producers have massively directed their harvests to the presses, without being able to rationally spread the management of this overproduction.

The president of an agricultural cooperative specifies that these delays directly threaten the next season. Varieties such as Picholine or Arbequina are particularly vulnerable, as the continuation of the harvest dangerously coincides with the beginning of flowering in mid-March.

Faced with this dilemma, several farmers have preferred to sacrifice the remaining harvest to preserve their trees. Touching the branches during the full blooming period would risk causing the fall of the new flowers and destroying future production.

On Bladi.net: The olive harvest in Morocco turns into a headache

In some farms, these weather and logistical complications have led to the destruction of nearly 20% of the total volumes.