Morocco secured the fourth position among the largest exporters of fresh blueberries worldwide,
surpassing even the United States, where blueberries are widely cultivated. Moroccan exporters
shipped a total of 53,000 tonnes of fresh blueberries last year, with only three countries – Peru
(277,000 tonnes), Chile (105,000 tonnes), and Spain (87,000 tonnes) – surpassing this volume.
However, it’s worth noting that the Netherlands exported 104,000 tonnes of blueberries in 11
months of 2022, which was more than Morocco. But taking into account the volume of re-exports,
the actual result of the Netherlands would be much lower since it imported 130,000 tonnes of fresh
blueberries during this period.
Exports of blueberries from Canada and the United States were also higher than Morocco’s, but only
if we consider the volume of supplies of wild berries. Out of Canada’s 77,000 tonnes of blueberry
exports, only 18,800 tonnes were cultivated blueberries, while exports of cultivated blueberries in
the United States totaled 45,200 tonnes in 2022.
In 2017, Morocco was the seventh largest exporter of cultivated blueberries globally, lagging behind
the countries mentioned above and Argentina. The country’s annual blueberry exports then were
15,600 tonnes, which means it has increased them by over three times in the past five years.
One of the key factors for Morocco’s success in the blueberry industry is similar to that for fresh
strawberries, as described in a previous article. Over 90% of Morocco’s blueberry exports initially
went to Spain, which re-exported them, extending their sales season. However, Spain’s share in
Moroccan exports has reduced to 36% from 2017 to 2022, with the majority of exports now going
directly to blueberry-consuming countries. The primary destinations for Moroccan blueberries are
the EU countries, as well as the UK and Norway.