Olive oil: Professionals call for a halt to exports
Olive oil prices are soaring. Prices vary between 85 and 100 MAD (USD 8 to 10) per liter. The risk of a further increase in the next few days is very real. On the eve of the olive harvest, scheduled for October, producers are warning of the effects of the drought that has prevailed over the last two years.
« There has been a sharp drop in production everywhere «, laments Rachid Benali, President of the Moroccan Interprofessional Olive Federation «Interprolive». Olives are grown in 10 regions of the Kingdom: Fez-Meknès, Tanger-Tétouan – Al Hoceima, Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, Oriental region, Marrakech-Safi, Beni Mellal-Khénifra, Greater Casablanca-Settat, Souss-Massa, Daraâ Tafilalet, and Guelmim-Oued Noun. The regions of Fez-Meknès and Marrakech-Safi alone account for 54% of the olive-growing area. The sector is dependent on rainfall. The area cultivated in non-irrigated areas is almost 677,000 hectares, while the area cultivated in irrigated zones is almost 398,000 hectares. Professionals call for suspension of shipments. This is a real first. « We have written to the Minister of Agriculture to stop exporting olives and oil abroad». The reason provided is a need to stabilize domestic prices. «The price of olive oil is already high. If we let olive oil or olives leave the country, prices will explode «, warns Rachid Benali. What does the Ministry of Agriculture have to say concerning this issue? When asked for comments by L’Economiste, Minister of Agriculture Mohamed Sadiki did not respond to our request.
International market share at stake
According to the Interprolive director Ahmed Khannoufi, « negotiations are under way «. No decision has yet been made. Khannoufi points to the surge in prices on world markets, following the drop in production, particularly in Spain. «Because of the drop in international production, there is strong demand for Moroccan olive oil «, Khannoufi points out. If shipments stop, Morocco risks losing its share of the international market. The average annual export of table olives is 88,000 tons, while that of olive oil is 31,000 tons. Since the implementation of the Green Morocco Plan, Morocco has established itself on the international market with its high-quality range of canned olives (third largest exporter worldwide). Olive oil shipments have also soared, notably to the European Union. The Generation Green strategy also focuses on promoting exports of olive oil and olive-pomace oil, with the aim of reaching 100,000 tons by 2030, and 150,000 tons for table olive exports.
Khadija SKALLI
