Agriculture and food in Morocco

Agriculture in Morocco

Morocco is located at the far northwest of the African continent and 14 kilometres away from Europe by the Strait of Gibraltar. Covering an area of 710850 square kilometres, Morocco opens onto both the Atlantic to the west and the Mediterranean Sea to the north. This vast territory is bordered to the east with Algeria and to the south with Mauritania. Morocco is characterized by a very different climate according to the areas. It is in fact temperate in the coastline while there desert climate in the south and east of the country. Thus, the climate is marked by several shades of difference: Mediterranean in the north, oceanic in the west, continental in the interior and Saharan in the south. In addition, the climate varies with the seasons. Rainfall decrease generally from north to south and is only more important on the mountains where they reach 200 mm in the Rif. They are less than 10 mm in the pre-Saharan and Saharan regions. The minimum annual average temperatures range from 5 ° C to 15 ° C depending on the region with negative absolute minima particularly in mountainous regions and those nearby. Temperatures can reach 45 ° C in the centre of the country and exceed 50 ° C in the interior of the Saharan regions. A dark clay-marl soil known as tirs, which is found on the Chaouïa, Doukkala, and Abda plains, produces good yields of wheat and barley when precipitation is sufficient and can retain enough moisture to support summer pasture. Hamri, a light reddish siliceous soil found throughout the Saïs Plain surrounding Meknès and Fès, supports productive vineyards and can also produce good cereal yields, though it has poor moisture retention. Dhess is the main soil type of the Sebou basin. A silt-rich alluvial soil, it provides the foundation for much of Morocco’s modern irrigated agriculture. Other major soil types, less suitable for agriculture, are rmel, a sandy soil found in the Mamora Forest region east of Rabat and along much of the northern coast, and haroucha, a rocky soil found throughout Morocco’s semiarid regions. The importance of the agricultural sector is evidenced by its significant contribution to the formation of the national GDP (nearly 13% in 2020) and job creation (33%), particularly in rural areas where agriculture is the main employer (80%) and source of income.

In terms of international trade, agriculture accounted for approximately 20% of total imports and about 21% of the country’s total exports in 2019 . In 2018, vegetable products accounted for 9.3% (USD 3.12 billion) of all exports, followed by foodstuffs (any substance used as food or to make food) at 6.7% (USD 2.24 billion). Among foodstuffs, the most prominent products exported are processed fish and processed crustaceans, which together account for 64% of all exported foodstuffs with a total export value of USD 1.4 billion in 2018. Processed vegetables, fruits and nuts accounted for around USD 220 million, around 10% of the export value for all foodstuffs. The food processing industry has particular ties to specific Moroccan regions, with the Agadir area being particularly renowned for the presence of fish processing plants, and the Marrakech, Casablanca, Fès and Meknès areas being particularly active in the domain of processing vegetables and fruits. Morocco produces enough food for domestic consumption except for grains, sugar, coffee and tea.

Crops

There is a total of 9 million ha of arable land in Morocco, with around 20% of it irrigated. According to recent official statistics, there are 1.5 million farms, dominated by micro-farms of less than 5ha (up to 70%). Cereals represent 60% of cultivable agricultural area in Morocco. Crop production is regionally diverse owing to different climates and land-crop tenure. The plant-based production mix is composed of diversified products/ The main crops after cereals: tree crops such as citrus and olive (1.6 million ha mainly on the Atlantic coast), fodder crops (0.4 million ha), Fabaceae (0.3 million ha) and vegetables (0.2 million ha, mainly tomatoes and potatoes). All production of citrus fruit, sugar, nearly 80% of vegetable, fodder and dairy production, but also nearly 20% of meat and cereal production are in the irrigated sector.

Livestock

The animal husbandry branch in Morocco is also diversified; the national livestock consists of more than 3 million head of cattle, 20 million head of sheep, 5 million head of goats and 170.000 head of camels (as of 2019 statistics). Poultry production is very dynamic in Morocco and recent decades has succeeded in exceeding national demand in terms of meat and eggs. Morocco has always been interested in extensive livestock production. There is a very old tradition of camel, sheep and goat breeding on wide rangelands, whereas cattle are more associated to cultivated areas. Because of the numerous agroecosystems present in the country, there are many breeds of these species that have been naturally selected. Morocco is also known for sheep production, with more than 17.5 million head Sheep provide in these regions a vast array of products, not only high quality meat, but also wool which used to represent a high value product as it allowed local handicraft to develop (mainly carpet production), and above all manure, which is important for soil fertility management in systems generally not using fertilizers. Morocco is country with more than 400,000 farmers involved in some form of milk production, but where only some 40,000 farms can be considered (semi) professional. No accurate figures could be obtained on farm size and number, but it is in the irrigated areas and regions with sufficient rainfall that 65-70% of all milk is produced by a mix of smallholders and some highly professional farms. The total milk production is estimated at 2,500,000 tons/year, with around 1.8 million cows. The formal milk processing industry collects ± 60-70% of the total milk production, while the remainder is either home consumption or informal trade. Morocco is for 94% self-sufficient, while exports vary around 6%

Forestry – “Silvopastoral” System

Morocco is known for its silvopastoral system which is a productive arrangement characterized by a combination of pastures and trees in the same area in order to increase the profitability of the system through the diversification of products while preserving the natural environment. In Morocco, the forest area is about 9 million ha, including Stipa tenacissima steppes, representing around 30% of rangelands. The most important silvopastoral formations are the holm oaks, the argan groves, the suberries, the juniper groves (especially the red juniper of high mountains), the Stipa tenacissima steppes, the sagebrush steppes, and the saharian Acacia formations. Silvopastoral areas provide 1.5 to 2 billion forage units per year, which represent 17% of the diet requirements of livestock, and can reach up to 80% of forest areas of northern Morocco and High Atlas (central Morocco).

Fisheries

The exclusive Moroccan economic zone is endowed with large and varied fishery resources, comprising around 500 species distributed along the country’s coastline, with small pelagic species accounting for the largest part of production (over 80% of all catches).Thus in Morocco, fish canning is mainly centered on sardines (91%), mackerel (7%), and tuna (2%). Morocco currently produces around 1 million tons of fish, which amounts to 1% of world production. Morocco is currently the first producer of sardines (Sardina pilchardus) with nearly half of all sardines landed in the world, followed by Spain. However, around three quarters of Morocco’s production go to by‐products, which does not yield the best return. As to processing destined for human consumption, it is essentially centered on canned sardines. On the world market, sardine is marketed in two main ways, canned sardines and fresh or frozen sardines. Morocco is by far the world’s top exporter of canned sardines, but its production volume fluctuates significantly as a result of irregular supply to processing units. Canned sardine is its showcase product, granting Morocco its position as a world leader on this market as well as a significant share of fishery products exports around the world. Europe receives nearly 44% of Morocco’s canned fish exports, followed by Africa with 39%, the Middle East with 12%, and finally the American continent with 5%. Frozen octopus mainly comes from West Africa, with Morocco topping the list of exporting countries with an average market share of nearly 55% in the last decade, followed by Mauritania.