Morocco ranks sixth among the world’s top ten wheat importers with imports expected to increase by 19% in 2024, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The increase is anticipated to offset an expected reduction in Morocco’s domestic production of wheat, FAO pointed out in its latest report published in Food Outlook
The report highlights that significant rainfall deficits and high temperatures in North Africa have severely affected wheat crops. Morocco’s wheat production is projected to decline by nearly 40% compared to last year, falling below the average to 2.5 million tons.
Global wheat production is expected to remain stagnant in 2024 (-0.1%) compared to the previous season, totaling 787 million tons, primarily due to an anticipated decrease in harvests in the European Union, Ukraine, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Northern Ireland.
The demand for wheat imports overall in Africa is expected to grow in 2024, with purchases forecast to rise by 2.2 % to a record 55.6 million tons.
Egypt, Indonesia and Turkey are the top three wheat importers, followed respectively by China and Algeria.
The recent adverse weather conditions in the Black Sea region will likely result in a downgrade in world wheat production. Wheat feed use and other uses are forecast to fall by 3.8% and 5.0 %, respectively, with the declines anticipated to be concentrated mostly in China and India.