Citrus harvest: Worse than previous seasons
A very difficult season for citrus. Climatic conditions had a considerable impact on production. Water shortages and heat waves, which continued until last October, slowed down the ripening of these fruits.
«The situation is very critical. The 2022-2023 agricultural season is worse than previous ones. Production is low. This can be seen in the price of oranges, which exceeds 10 Dirhams (1 US dollar) per kilo on the market. The clementine harvest began a month ago, and the navel harvest a few days ago. Results are not good. The orange harvest will start in the next few days, and it doesn’t look good at all», says Brahim Belkora, CEO of Agro Juice Processing (AJP). This Meknes-based agribusiness group specializeś in the production, packaging, and marketing of fruit juices.
The decline in production has forced this company’s top management to increase the price of the juice, 1-liter format, intended for families. «This represents a 15-20% increase in the selling price. In addition to unfavorable weather conditions, the cost of juice production has soared due to a 140% increase in the price of the raw materials used to make the juice. The selling price of individual juice packs for children has been maintained», explains Brahim Belkora.
Mohammed Saidi, CEO of Vergers Domaine Tarifit & Packing house Eurober, located in the Berkane region, one of the bastions of citrus production, agrees. «Production on our estates has fallen by 50%. This is a significant drop in volume. We’re suffering the repercussions of successive years of drought and heat», laments this professional. «We’re barely managing to get by», he adds.
This campaign is also critical for citrus exports. Volumes have been reduced, with a majority of small sizes for which it is difficult to find takers on the international market. For some members of the business community, shipments for the months of October, November, and December 2023 are down by 20 to 25% for the same period of the previous campaign. But this does not stop the members of the business community from holding out hope.
Khadija Skalli
