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China-Africa Trade Information Service
info.afrindex.com
China-Africa Trade Information Service
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Morocco's Ministry of Agriculture expects the country's agri-food exports to increase by 10% over the next year.
As part of its 2020-2021 agri-food export campaign, which began on September 1, the ministry aims to compensate for the losses in exports Morocco incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2019-2020 campaign recorded “good performance,” but the ministry hopes agri-food exports will rise even further. The ministry emphasized the sector's “promising prospects” despite drought and the pandemic.
In a press release, the ministry said citrus fruits, in particular, have “good export prospects” on international markets. While Morocco's citrus fruit exports suffered a 26% drop during the 2019-2020 campaign due to low production, international markets are recording good price levels as the new campaign begins.
The ministry added that Morocco's main citrus competitors have a relatively limited supply, yet the demand for vitamin C-rich citrus fruits is on the rise given the global health crisis.
Morocco's 2019-2020 agri-food export campaign
The 2019-2020 agri-food export campaign from September 1, 2019, to August 31, 2020, enjoyed “good performance” despite drought and COVID-19.
Morocco's agriculture ministry reported that the value of exports of agri-food products, excluding fishery products, reached MAD 39.5 billion ($4.27 billion) during the 2019/2020 campaign.
The figure marks an 8% increase compared to the previous agriculture year, when the country brought in MAD 36.6 billion ($3.95 billion). Compared to 2010, when exports had a value of MAD 17.2 billion ($1.86 billion), the value has increased by 130%.
Morocco's fruit and vegetable exports recorded a volume of around 1.416 million tonnes during the 2019-2020 campaign. The volume represents an increase of 12% compared to the 2018-2019 campaign, when volume stood at 1.266 million tonnes.
Tomato exports increased by approximately 5% between the two campaigns. Volume grew from 539,000 tonnes during the 2018-2019 campaign to 567,000 tonnes during the 2019-2020 campaign.
Red fruits recorded a remarkable 22% growth in 2019-2020 compared to the previous campaign. Morocco’s fresh red fruits exports increased from 73,000 tonnes to 89,000 tonnes.
Morocco's watermelon exports also increased between the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 campaigns. Export volume grew from 168,000 tonnes to 241,000 tonnes, an increase of 44%.
The country's overall exports decreased by 5.7% in the first eight months of 2020, according to data from the National Ports Agency (ANP). However, Morocco's Ministry of Agriculture is hopeful that agri-food exports will recover from the COVID-19 pandemic over the coming year.
