Moroccan blueberry boom under the spotlight
by Market Insider
Tuesday, 26 May. 2015
Blueberries are on the spot in Morocco where growers are planting aggressively cottoning on to the lucrative potential of the market in Europe but will need to avoid squeezing the juice out of the market through excess volume; the North African country see great promise in the industry’s potential but has warned against planting too many varieties with harvests concentrated from April to June.
Morocco is a country where the plantation of blueberries is increasing but what is problematic is it’s also increasing a lot in Spain and the fact that production is concentrated from mid-April to the end of May. In this period there is a supply peak and growers are a bit concerned whether the market will respond to such large rises in plantings. The issue is about finding the balance between increased consumption and not having excessive plantations.
According to market operators the blueberry sector in Morocco is “getting hot”: some people are planting aggressively and with varieties that are not making the difference in the market; the only difference these varieties could make is they continue pushing down prices in the market when Spain has large volumes. Many of the people who are planting don’t have the right materials to plant but this is how they act because of what they have heard and what is happening in the area.
However some companies have access to special varieties and can start harvesting very early having a nice share of the market at the beginning of the season; early varieties this year started in January and peaked in March and April.
The country’s total blueberry volume in Morocco may double in the next two to three years.
Source: Fresfruitportal