Berkane – The provisional forecast for citrus production for the 2024-2025 agricultural campaign in the irrigated perimeter of the Moulouya (Berkane province) is estimated at around 192,300 tonnes.
Hafida El Aallam, head of the agricultural production service at the Regional Office for Agricultural Development of the Moulouya (ORMVAM), explained in a statement to MAP that 60% of this citrus production, a significant portion of which will be exported, concerns clementine varieties.
Ms. El Aallam highlighted the importance of the "clementine" production chain, which is distinguished by its high quality and strong demand in domestic and international markets, emphasising the significant economic and social role played by the citrus sector through job creation in farms and packing units, in addition to the added value it brings to agricultural production in the Moulouya basin.
According to her, the citrus sector has been significantly affected by climate change, particularly successive years of drought and water scarcity in the Moulouya basin complex, which has led to a decrease in production of about 14% this season.
However, she specified that the improvement observed in the hydraulic basin at the beginning of the 2024-2025 season, due to the increased availability of water, has contributed to improving the quality of production and increasing the quantity produced. She added that this has also contributed to the development of trees that suffered from drought in previous seasons, which will have a positive effect on late varieties such as 'Maroc late'.
The citrus sector, which generates significant added value representing 23% of the total value of the plant production sector, contributes to the creation of more than 2.8 million working days per year in farms and packing stations.
In this context, Kassimi Mohamed, manager of a citrus farm, noted that despite the drought, this year's production in this farm, which covers an area of 60 hectares of "Clémentine Berkane", has improved compared to previous years, highlighting the efforts made to preserve this highly sought-after variety due to its taste and organoleptic qualities.
In a similar statement, he indicated that the support provided by the Regional Office for Agricultural Development of the Moulouya, particularly regarding irrigation, has helped to save the trees and improve production.
For her part, Jihane Belhouari, manager of a citrus packing and export station in Berkane, emphasised the role played by this industrial station, which started its operations in 2021, in contributing to increased productivity and job creation in the region.
She announced that this station, which exports its products to many countries, including European countries such as France, the Netherlands, and Germany, as well as Asian countries like Russia, and to other countries in the future, aims to create new employment opportunities through its new unit dedicated to the production and export of natural (organic) products.
According to the Regional Directorate of Agriculture of the Oriental region, the severe drought and alarming shortage of irrigation water in all the dams of the Moulouya basin hydraulic complex, which characterised the 2023-2024 season, had a negative impact on the condition of the plants and the different growth stages of citrus plants from flowering to fruit development, which affected yield and quality.
However, the same source considered that the irrigation cycles that benefited citrus at the beginning of the season, given the improvement in water reserves, will have a positive impact on farms and the quality of late citrus varieties, and will also contribute to revitalising a significant percentage of plantations that suffered from the effects of drought, in addition to preparing for the flowering phase for the next season.
The citrus sector is considered one of the most important production sectors in the Moulouya basin, as citrus cultivation covers an area of over 19,000 hectares (65% of which are small fruit varieties).
Citrus cultivation covers approximately 25% of the irrigated area, and citrus accounts for 40% of the total plantations in the Moulouya irrigated perimeter.
This article Moulouya Perimeter: Provisional Citrus Production Estimated at Over 192,000 Tonnes first appeared on Map Ecology.
