logo
Morocco's Lemon Revenues Reach $2.7 Million in First Half of 2024-2025 Season

Morocco's Lemon Revenues Reach $2.7 Million in First Half of 2024-2025 Season

Morocco World29-05-2025
Rabat – Morocco generated a revenue of $2.7 million from lemon exports, according to new data from the agriculture-focused outlet East Fruit.
The revenues were made between the first half of the 2024-2025 season, during which Morocco exported 6,100 metric tons of lemons, the report detailed.
'This marks the highest export volume for the October-March period' since the 2020-2021 season, when Morocco witnessed a four-year decline in exports due to weather challenges.
East Fruit stressed the importance of lemon as part of the top citrus exported produce in Morocco, behind mandarins and oranges.
The peak of exports occurred in the 2019-2020 season, when exports reached 17,000 tons, seven times less than orange exports and 23 times less than mandarin exports, the report added.
Morocco's citrus industry witnessed a major milestone. Foodex in April celebrated the country's entrance into Japan's most demanding market with the first container of Moroccan citrus fruits.
The entry reflects the 'competitiveness of Moroccan agricultural products and internationally recognized expertise,' the same source said.
In the 2021-2022 agricultural season, Morocco's citrus exports reached a record volume of 766,500 tons — an overall increase of 40% compared to the year before.
This performance covered all exported citrus products, including berries.
For the 2024-025 campaign in the Moulouya irrigated area in Berkane province, Morocco's citrus sector gears up to produce at least 192,3000 tons.
All this amid challenging weather conditions due principally to climate change, water shortages, and lack of rainfall.
Recent rainfall in March revived Morocco's water reserves, prompting Minister of Equipment Nizar Baraka to say that the country now has a capacity of potable water that will serve Moroccans for a year and a half.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Royal Moroccan Air Force Signs Major C-130 Fleet Upgrade with L3Harris
Royal Moroccan Air Force Signs Major C-130 Fleet Upgrade with L3Harris

Morocco World

time21 minutes ago

  • Morocco World

Royal Moroccan Air Force Signs Major C-130 Fleet Upgrade with L3Harris

Marrakech – The Royal Moroccan Air Force (RMAF) has finalized a contract with American defense contractor L3Harris Technologies for the comprehensive modernization of multiple C-130 aircraft, enhancing Morocco's military transport capabilities. L3Harris announced the agreement on July 14, following an earlier confirmation when the Administration of National Defense formalized the strategic partnership on July 3. The US Embassy's Chargée d'Affaires, Aimee Cutrona, described the deal as 'a milestone moment in the ongoing U.S.-Morocco partnership in defense and aerospace' on her X platform account. According to the official press release, L3Harris will perform extensive modifications, including 'avionics modification, program depot maintenance, engine overhaul and other support efforts' on the Moroccan C-130 fleet. Jason Lambert, President of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance at L3Harris, spoke of the importance of the agreement, stating it 'marks the beginning of a strategic, long-term partnership with the Royal Moroccan Air Force to ensure their fleet is ready for any mission.' L3Harris' aircraft maintenance and modification facility in Waco, Texas, will begin the renovation this year and continue the work through 2029. The upgraded fleet aims to improve aircraft availability for various missions, including tactical airlift, humanitarian assistance, and special operations. Rather than replacing its aging C-130 fleet with new aircraft, Morocco has opted for this intermediate approach. According to military sources, this decision aligns with broader strategic planning priorities, considering capabilities already under development and available resources while maintaining reliable air transport capacity. The C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft that was designed by American manufacturer Lockheed Martin in the 1950s. Known for its robustness and versatility, it performs a wide range of missions, including troop and equipment transport, aerial delivery, refueling, humanitarian missions, medical evacuations, and firefighting operations. The modernization program also addresses security imperatives, particularly following the Guelmim accident in 2011. According to sources, it will enhance avionics and onboard systems, potentially extending the operational lifespan of the aircraft by 15 to 20 years while strengthening Moroccan teams' expertise in managing new-generation equipment. This contract forms part of Morocco's ongoing military modernization strategy. In recent months, the Royal Armed Forces have acquired various new equipment, including up to 600 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles approved by the US in April in a potential $825-million deal. The country is also set to purchase 612 Javelin missiles and 200 launch units from the US in a deal worth approximately $260 million, according to an official notice published in the US Federal Register on May 30. In March, the RMAF also received its first batch of AH-64E Apache attack helicopters from Boeing, part of a $440 million contract signed in 2020 for 24 helicopters with an option for 12 more. In February, Morocco secured Chinese-made TB-001K 'Scorpion' drones for reconnaissance and strike missions. During the same month, the country received its first delivery of Bayraktar Akinci drones from Turkey following a 2023 agreement. L3Harris Technologies already supplies smart weapons systems for Morocco's F-16 fighter jets, enabling pilots to double their aircraft's munitions capacity. The new C-130 modernization contract further solidifies the defense relationship between Rabat and Washington, bound by nearly 250 years of history, while enhancing the North African country's regional strategic capabilities. While Moroccan pilots have reportedly tested the C-390 Millennium from Brazilian company Embraer as a potential addition to their transport fleet, the current focus remains on extending the operational life of the existing C-130 aircraft through comprehensive modernization. Tags: Military modernizationThe Royal Moroccan Air Force (RMAF)

Moroccan entrepreneur raises 4.2 million for AI startup ZeroEntropy
Moroccan entrepreneur raises 4.2 million for AI startup ZeroEntropy

Ya Biladi

time2 hours ago

  • Ya Biladi

Moroccan entrepreneur raises 4.2 million for AI startup ZeroEntropy

US-based Moroccan entrepreneur Ghita Houir Alami, co-founder and CEO of the AI startup ZeroEntropy, has raised $4.2 million in a seed round led by American venture capital firm Initialized Capital. ZeroEntropy (YC W25) builds high-accuracy search systems for retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and AI agents. Since its launch in January, the company has processed nearly 100 million documents and close to one million queries. The company also announced the release of its state-of-the-art reranker, zerank-1, a new AI model that significantly improves search accuracy. It enhances any first-stage search system, including BM25 and OpenAI embeddings, by up to 28%, and outperforms top models like Cohere's rerank-3.5 and Salesforce's LlamaRank in domains such as finance and STEM, reads an introduction by the company. «The newly launched zerank-1 model, trained using a chess ELO score-inspired pipeline, outperforms every other model on public and private benchmarks while being faster and cheaper», Ghita said in a video shared last week on her social media. «And here's the best part: zerank-1 is already live through our API and fully integrated into our search engine. So if you are using ZeroEntropy, your retrieval just improved automatically». Originally from Rabat, Ghita holds a master's degree in Applied Mathematics from UC Berkeley, with a focus on Machine Learning and Operations Research. She also earned a BS/MS in Applied Mathematics from École Polytechnique, France's top engineering school, where she specialized in Data Science. Her academic journey began at the elite preparatory program of Lycée Sainte-Geneviève, and she graduated with highest honors from Lycée Descartes in Rabat. Ghita was also a top 10 finalist in the U.S. Embassy's science contest and received an Honorable Mention at the 2017 International Physics Olympiad.

Morocco partners with Onepoint to create AI center of excellence in Casablanca Settat region
Morocco partners with Onepoint to create AI center of excellence in Casablanca Settat region

Ya Biladi

time2 hours ago

  • Ya Biladi

Morocco partners with Onepoint to create AI center of excellence in Casablanca Settat region

A memorandum of understanding was signed Tuesday in Rabat to establish a Center of Excellence in Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Casablanca-Settat region. The agreement brings together several Moroccan ministries, the Moroccan Investment and Export Development Agency (AMDIE), and French tech company Onepoint. The protocol was signed by Amal El Fellah Seghrouchni, Minister Delegate for Digital Transition and Administrative Reform; Ryad Mezzour, Minister of Industry and Trade; Karim Zidane, Minister Delegate for Investment; Ali Seddiki, Director General of AMDIE; and David Layani, founder and president of Onepoint. Part of the «Morocco Digital 2030» strategy, this initiative aims to equip the Kingdom with cutting-edge technological infrastructure to support public service modernization, digital innovation, and the competitiveness of the national industrial sector. Minister Seghrouchni described the agreement as a major milestone in Morocco's ambition to become a premier destination for high-value-added offshoring, highlighting the country's growing digital and industrial appeal. The project plans to recruit 500 Moroccan engineers and build advanced skills in strategic tech fields such as AI, data processing, and middleware. According to Seghrouchni, it will also bolster Morocco's digital sovereignty and provide local talent with opportunities to contribute to global-scale projects. Minister Mezzour noted that the agreement reflects international confidence in Morocco's industrial, human, and digital potential. He emphasized that Casablanca-Settat's growing tech appeal makes it an ideal hub for Industry 4.0, especially for supporting digitalization among small and medium-sized industrial enterprises and enhancing cybersecurity. Minister Zidane added that the alliance demonstrates investor trust in Morocco's digital transformation and human capital development. He stressed the center's role in positioning Morocco as a continental tech hub, creating qualified jobs, and supporting national priorities in innovation, investment, and digital sovereignty. David Layani confirmed plans to hire 500 Moroccan talents over the next four years to help tackle major AI challenges. He also highlighted the importance of middleware-based solutions to enable secure, integrated digital expansion across sectors.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store