Morocco became a leader in fruit and berry production in 2023, primarily with respect to bananas, pears, mangoes, avocados, pineapples, and kiwis. The imports reached 123,000 tons, marking a drop from 2020, said East Fruit in its latest article published on Thursday.
The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting limitations reduced the country’s need for imported fruits in 2020, also known as the Covid-19 era. However, the rise in fruit imports was minor compared to 2022, when imports were 121,000 tons.
A shift happened in 2023, when bananas rose to the top of Morocco’s fruit import list, hitting a high of 28,000 tons. Morocco produces roughly 350,000 tons of bananas each year, although it still imports from South American countries as well as from Spanish and Portuguese Atlantic islands.
These two European nations are the primary providers of fresh fruits to Morocco, accounting for 40% to 50% of total fruit imports.
Pears, which had previously topped the import rankings for five years, dropped to second position. Their import volume fell by 42% to 28,000 tons in 2023, far lower than the five-year average. Morocco’s pear imports are mostly from Portugal and Spain, which saw poor production levels in 2022-2023 owing to adverse weather conditions.
Mangoes ranked third in Morocco’s import hierarchy, with international imports continuously growing since at least 2017. The top mango suppliers to Morocco originate from Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, including Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Peru, and Brazil.
Avocado imports followed closely behind, rising 74% to 13.6 thousand tons in 2023. It’s worth noting that Morocco has been increasing its avocado exports, even securing the ninth position in the worldwide exporters ranking in 2022. To meet growing domestic demand and compensate for the off-season, Morocco has gradually boosted avocado imports, primarily from Peru.
Pineapples finished out the top five main fruit imports, with a record-breaking 11,500 tons entering Morocco in 2023, topping the 10,000-ton threshold for the first time. Notably, 98% of these pineapple imports came from only three countries: Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana.
Kiwis and apples, rated sixth and seventh, saw their imports fall to 10,000 tons and 7,000 tons, respectively, by 2023. In contrast, imports of persimmons, watermelons, and plums reached all-time highs. Last year, Morocco bought 6,700 tons of persimmons and 770 tons of plums, mostly from Spain, and 2,200 tons of watermelons, mostly from Mauritania, with the intention of re-exporting them to the European Union market.