Fresh Plaza
Moroccan province supplies 31% of the national apple production
190,000 tonnes of apples are grown annually in the Moroccan province Midelt. This is 31% of the national apple production. Midelt has 7,456 ha of apple orchards. The average yield is 25 t/ha. This shows from figures from the DRA (Direction régionale de l’agriculture).
According to the DRA the province has undergone important development in the past few years thanks to private initiatives. They were supported by the government within the framework of the FDA (Fonds de Développement agricole) and the Plan Maroc Vert. The minister of Agriculture and Fishing, Aziz Akhannouch, visited various agricultural projects in the young province. He thinks Midelt has a high agricultural capacity and that it is a province pre-eminently for apple cultivation.
The DRA announced that the program, which is still guiding the growers in improving and valuing the product, is mainly focusing on organising the sector and labeling Midelt’s apples. The increase of the storage capacity, the improvement of the yield due to using modern techniques and the better storage due to the cultivation of the best varieties are high up on the list.
Publication date: 10/16/2012
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