The Moroccan raspberry season is commencing, with the first harvests underway and initial shipments already on their way. According to Amine Bennani, President of the Moroccan Association of Soft Fruits Growers, the industry has achieved stability despite increasingly challenging production conditions.
Bennani notes that a sign of this stability is the acreage, which has met the available demand. “The area has expanded significantly over the past five years and has remained between 4,200 and 4,500 hectares over the last two seasons, split between the Loukkos and Souss Massa regions. This year, the area has not grown much further, reaching a level that provides just enough volume to meet market needs.”
This represents an annual volume of 50,000 to 60,000 tonnes of fresh raspberries and 10,000 to 12,000 tonnes of frozen raspberries, as reported by Bennani. These figures align with last season’s export volumes, and similar results are anticipated for the coming season. The production is predominantly focused on three varieties of American and European origin.
The raspberry industry was hit hard by Storm Bernard, which struck Morocco’s Atlantic coast last season at the height of the harvest. This year, weather conditions have improved significantly, according to Bennani. However, phytosanitary challenges continue to escalate. Bennani explains, “We are grappling with water stress and the effects of global warming, which encourage pest infestations and sharply increase treatment costs. Additionally, with more phytopharmaceutical products being banned, production costs are rising. In some cases, farming expenses have doubled or even tripled compared to last season.”
In terms of demand, expectations are similar to last season. Bennani notes, “Raspberries are highly perishable, limiting us to nearby markets. Europe will continue to be the primary destination for Moroccan raspberries, with shipments mainly going to the UK, France, Germany, and other European countries. We have also started negotiations to explore the Gulf and Russian markets via air transport, and the prospects look promising.”
The first raspberry shipments from Agadir (Souss Massa) have already been sent to Europe, while the Larache (Loukkos) harvest is set to begin next week and will continue until May-June 2025.
