Fresh Plaza
In the 2016-17 campaign, Morocco expects to harvest 2.36 million tonnes of citrus fruits, which would be a record figure, as announced by the Ministry of Agriculture in a statement.
Such a harvest volume for one of Morocco’s most exported products would represent a 16% increase compared to the figures achieved in the 2015-16 campaign, according to the statement.
The forecast for the citrus campaign, with oranges and mandarins as the most exported products, is the second piece of good news for the sector, after the United States lifted its veto on all Moroccan citrus last October; a ban that had been introduced in January due to the detection of Medfly larvae in a shipment.
Moroccan citrus fruits, which are exported to the European Union, Russia, Canada, the United States and the Middle East, are one of the most competitive products of Moroccan agriculture overseas, and the forecasts of the Maroc Vert Plan (a global strategy for Moroccan agriculture) point to the production reaching 2.9 million tonnes by 2018.
The Moroccan Ministry made these positive forecasts because of the positive impact of the abundant first autumn rains.
