Latest news with #EastFruit
Morocco World
03-07-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
As Morocco Battles Drought, Avocado Exports to Canada Reach Record High
Rabat – While Morocco faces its worst drought in decades, the country has exported a record 1,180 tons of avocados, a water-intensive crop, to Canada this season. According to EastFruit, citing official data from Statistics Canada and Global Trade Tracker, Morocco exported 1.18 thousand tons of avocados to Canada during the first 10 months of the 2024/25 marketing year (July–June), valued at $3.7 million. This is a big jump compared to previous years, when Moroccan avocado exports to Canada never exceeded 70 tons. Shipments started in December 2024 and peaked in January and February 2025, with over 400 tons exported each of those months. By January, Morocco became Canada's second-largest avocado supplier, behind only Mexico. In February and March, it remained among the top three, alongside Mexico and Colombia. Mexico still dominates the Canadian avocado market, supplying over 93% of all imports. But this season, Mexico faced serious challenges. Heavy rain during the summer of 2024 damaged avocado crops, causing production to drop by 20%. At the same time, new US trade threats under President Donald Trump, including the possibility of 25% tariffs on Mexican goods, created uncertainty. Even though the tariffs were never applied, the increased customs checks caused delays and discouraged Canadian buyers. Because of these issues, Mexico sent about 2,500 tons fewer avocados to Canada between December and March, compared to the same period the year before. This created a supply gap in the Canadian market, and Morocco stepped in to help fill it. This record avocado export season comes at a time when Morocco is facing one of the most severe water crises in its history. The country has experienced five consecutive years of drought, with rainfall dropping nearly 53% below the 30-year average. Rivers and reservoirs have shrunk, crops have withered, and rural communities have been hit hardest. Because of this crisis, King Mohammed VI called on Moroccans to refrain from performing the traditional animal sacrifice for Eid Al Adha, one of the most important Islamic holidays. The King's decision came in light of the drastic drop in livestock numbers, the rising cost of feed, and the scarcity of water. Livestock herds had already declined by nearly 40% since 2016 due to poor pasture conditions and lack of rainfall. Avocados are known to be a water-intensive crop, as they require large amounts of water to grow. This has raised concerns about the sustainability of expanding avocado farming while Morocco struggles with water shortages.
Morocco World
21-06-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
Morocco Hits Record Rasberry Exports to Middle East
Morocco has set a new benchmark for its raspberry exports to the Middle East, reaching 700 tonnes just three months before the close of the 2024/2025 export season, according to agricultural data platform EastFruit. This surge, achieved during the first nine months of the current marketing campaign, marks a significant milestone for Moroccan agriculture. The boost is credited to the strong positioning of Moroccan raspberries during off-peak periods in rival markets, consistently high product quality, and a targeted trade strategy aimed at expanding in the Gulf region. Exports typically run from August through June, with major shipping peaks between October–November and February–May. October 2024 stood out as a record month, with more than 200 tonnes shipped, surpassing the combined totals of the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 seasons. Currently, Morocco exports raspberries to seven Middle Eastern countries. The UAE and Saudi Arabia dominate as the leading importers, accounting for roughly three-quarters of the total volume. Meanwhile, shipments to Kuwait have tripled over the past three seasons, and exports to Jordan have doubled. The UAE alone has seen a 67% jump in imports over that same period. The country's market share has expanded sharply across the region. Moroccan raspberries now represent 15% of imports in the UAE, up from 7%. In Kuwait, the share has jumped from 0.2% to 5%, in Qatar from 6% to 10%, in Bahrain from 6% to 22%, and in Jordan from 0.3% to 22%. While the report details Morocco's impressive growth in Middle Eastern markets, it also notes the country's rise to become the world's second-largest exporter of fresh raspberries as of 2024, second only to Mexico. This remarkable dual achievement reflects Morocco's strategic initiatives, including improved cultivation practices and targeted market diversification.
Morocco World
06-06-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
Morocco Exports Over 100,000 Tons of Avocados for the First Time
Rabat – Morocco has quietly but firmly claimed a new place among the world's key avocado exporters. For the first time, the country crossed the 100,000-ton mark in avocado exports, according to agricultural market platform EastFruit, an unprecedented milestone that signals Morocco's growing influence in a market once dominated by Latin America. This achievement comes amid a complex season. Global avocado prices have dropped due to an oversupply from producers in countries like Peru and Mexico. Still, Moroccan growers managed to outperform expectations, helped by a combination of stable weather, high-quality harvests, and increasingly competitive logistics. In Europe, Morocco's biggest export market, markets grew more crowded and prices more volatile. But Morocco fared well. Rather than chasing quantity, producers focused on consistency and quality, two aspects that set their produce apart in a market environment characterized by high pressure and competition. Morocco's growing visibility on the international trade scene is a symptom of broader changes in the global avocado business. With more and more suppliers flooding the market, shoppers no longer place top priority on prices. Shelf life, appearance, and on-time delivery carry as much weight as price. Demand remains strong, especially in Europe and North America, but the rules of the game have shifted. Morocco appears to understand this shift. Read also: Morocco Is World's 9th Largest Avocado Exporter Amid Water Scarcity It is no longer a secondary seasonal provider. It is now a regular player, one that can ride out fluctuating times while earning the confidence of international consumers. On a larger scale, this year's export milestone is more than a number. It is the indication of Morocco's entrance into a new era of its agricultural policy, one that is less reactive, more calculated, and more international. But such success comes at a price. Morocco's rise to global leadership in the avocado market is paid for with growing environmental expenses. Growing avocados is a water-intensive business that weighs heavily on a country already beset with regular droughts and worsening water shortages. With producers increasingly opening up more plantation land to meet overseas demand, concern grows about the sustainability of such development over the long term. The tensions between economic opportunity and environmental responsibility remain to be addressed, especially in regions where water shortage is already the reality. The challenge for Morocco now is how to reconcile export drive and its actual need to save its natural resources. Tags: avocadoavocado exportMorocco avocadoMorocco economyMorocco exports
Ya Biladi
05-06-2025
- Business
- Ya Biladi
Morocco breaks avocado export records, surpassing 100,000 tons
In a season marked by increased volumes and shifting trade dynamics, Morocco has emerged as a rising power in the global avocado market, surpassing the 100,000-ton export mark for the first time, according to the platform EastFruit. Despite a price decline caused by global oversupply, mainly from Latin American countries, Moroccan producers celebrated a second consecutive year of record-breaking exports, supported by excellent fruit quality, notably in size, and stable climatic conditions. Facing a saturated European market and mounting price competition, Morocco's performance highlights the maturity of its national avocado sector and its growing influence in the international trade scene. Global avocado markets are undergoing significant changes as increased supplies from Peru and other Latin American countries exert downward pressure on prices in key markets. Despite strong demand, especially in Europe and North America, factors such as quality, logistics, and ease of market access have become critical in shaping trade flows and prices.
Morocco World
29-05-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
Morocco's Lemon Revenues Reach $2.7 Million in First Half of 2024-2025 Season
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.
