Should imported dates be boycotted in favor of the Moroccan product?

Fears of a shortage due to drought seem to have been dispelled. The president of the Moroccan Federation of Date Marketing and Enhancement is reassuring: the market is well supplied. With a national production reaching an unprecedented level, the supply is no longer limited to the "Medjoul" variety alone, but now offers a rediscovered diversity.

For the federation, the challenge is now economic and social. Consuming Moroccan is directly supporting the farmers of the oases, who have been severely affected by the climatic hazards.

However, about 50,000 tons of foreign dates continue to be imported. A situation that annoys some local producers, like a farmer in Zagora, interviewed by Hespress. According to him, the actual production is underestimated by the official statistics, which artificially justifies the recourse to imports.

"Morocco would not need to import, or very little, if a precise census were carried out," he argues. He points the finger at the role of speculators who would have an interest in maintaining these external flows to the detriment of the enhancement of the local product. Professionals are therefore calling on the State to review its accounting methods to reflect the reality on the ground.