EU, Morocco enter into new agro contract

The new agreement between Morroco and the EU will increase export quotas of certain Moroccan fruits and vegetables and expand the list of open access unlimited quantities.  The contract, which took effect on October 1, 2012, allows the export of an additional 20,000 tonnes of Moroccan tomatoes to the EU. In 2016 the exportable volume will be increased to 12,000 tonnes.

Meanwhile, the country is seeing a slump in citrus production. The Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture expects a harvest of only 1.5 million tonnes for all citrus varieties combined. This is a drop of 25% compared to 1.86 million tonnes produced in 2011-2012.

The Ministry also said that output of oranges will be at 763,000 tonnes, a drop of 27% and a small fruit production of 665 000 tonnes which is a decline of 24%. Other citrus fruits (lemon and grapefruit) are expected to have increased volumes of 38%, but represent less than 5% of the total production.