“After several years of high production, the trees are exhausted,” said Khalid Bounajma, president of the Professional Association of Conditioners of Citrus in Morocco. “This year we expect a big drop in citrus production in Morocco estimated at around 50%.
“For all players in the sector, this is a real deficit, knowing that the sector provides nearly 25 million working days a year.” He added volumes would be so low that at his major company this year that “we do not have enough production to run our packing machines”.
The low-production year follows years of high production during which prices were often brought down to low levels. ASCAM and the Ministry of Agriculture are trying to establish a good export strategy for Moroccan oranges. IFU