Morocco is the top blueberry exporter to the United Arab Emirates as of MY 2022/23 (July-June), having eclipsed former top supplier South Africa, according to data analytics platform “EastFruit.”
While previously Morocco had not exported blueberries to the UAE in large quantities, the country has significantly expanded its market share in the Middle East, especially in the UAE.
While during MY 2020/21 Morocco supplied only 211 tons of blueberries to the UAE, by MY 2022/23, that export volume had quadrupled to a whopping 982 tons valued at $6.3 million.
Morocco, South Africa, the Netherlands, Peru, and a number of other countries were the main exporters of blueberries to UAE (22 in total in MY 2022/23). South Africa then took the lead, accounting for more than a third of the total blueberry imports to the UAE.
In comparison, just five years ago, Morocco accounted for only 2.6% of UAE’s blueberry imports. In 2022/23, Morocco’s share reached 36%, and by February-May of 2023, it had reached 80%, eclipsing South Africa.
On a global level, Morocco became the world’s seventh-largest exporter of blueberries in 2022. Now, Morocco also ranks fourth in the global list of cultivated blueberry exports, following only the United States and Canada.
Morocco exported blueberries to 37 foreign countries in the MY 2022/23, with export revenues totaling $315 million, reported EastFruit. In comparison to other fruits, blueberries ranked fourth in export income, outstripping tomatoes, mandarins, and raspberries, while as of H1 of 2023, blueberries now rank second after tomatoes.