In 2022, Morocco succeeded in doubling its exports of fresh raspberries, thus overtaking the United States to rank third worldwide, according to the specialized portal East Fruit.
Morocco continues to increase its fresh raspberry exports thanks to its favorable geographical location and efficient logistics. Over the past five seasons, Moroccan exports of fresh raspberries have more than doubled and local exporters have already managed to sell more than 35,000 tons of these berries in the first 8 months of the 2022-2023 marketing campaign (July- February), says East Fruit.
The same source estimates that despite a slight drop in exports in February 2023, Morocco still has every chance of setting a new record for fresh raspberry exports for the entire 2022-2023 campaign.
In addition, Moroccan exporters shipped around 50,000 tons of fresh raspberries and 52,000 tons of fresh blueberries during the 2021-2022 marketing year. Morocco has notably succeeded, in 2022, in becoming the fourth largest exporter of fresh cultivated blueberries in the world and the third in terms of the export of fresh raspberries, leaving the United States behind in both operations.
In 2022, Morocco exported 56,000 tons of fresh raspberries, while American exporters only sold 50,000 tons. However, the Kingdom ranks behind Spain which was able to export a total of 72,000 tons and Mexico 112,000 tons. The specialized portal explains that Spanish exports of these berries have stagnated since 2019, partly due to strong competition with new suppliers, including Morocco.
As a reminder, Moroccan exports had reached a record level in the frozen raspberry segment last year, the Kingdom became the main reason for the collapse of frozen raspberry prices in January 2023, after ousting Ukraine. , Moldova as well as other suppliers to the European Union (EU) market.
In addition, Morocco generally exports fresh raspberries all year round, however, volumes tend to drop during the summer season, while their peak is observed in November-May, specifies East Fruit. In February 2023, Moroccan exports of fresh raspberries had fallen somewhat but remained relatively high compared to previous years.
It should be noted that local exporters generally focus on European buyers, especially the new markets opened in recent years. In 2017-2020, Moroccan fresh raspberries were exported mainly to Spain and the Netherlands. Later they were joined by Germany, France and the United Kingdom, the latter showing booming demand for Moroccan products due to Brexit, which had caused problems with shipments from the United Kingdom. EU.