Record citrus crop for Morocco

Morocco experienced record citrus production in MY 2021/22, with crop volume up by 12% from the previous year due to favourable weather conditions during the growing season and an increase in harvested area, according to USDA data. In MY 2021/22, Morocco shipped a record 110,500 tons of fresh citrus to the US, about 156% more than in the previous campaign. The increase is attributable to strong US demand and increasing Moroccan investments in fruit packing technologies and cold treatment infrastructure required to ship Moroccan fruit to the US. Moroccan citrus shipments to Russia were not disrupted due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as the export season was largely finished prior to the conflict. However, Moroccan exporters note that payment and shipping problems are anticipated for the next season. Exporters in other industries confirm this concern, noting that Moroccan financial institutions are too risk averse to insure transactions with Russia. Other constraints include high freight costs, which costs surging by 150% in MY 2021/22 compared to the previous year.