Morocco on track for record avocado exports, despite water worries

Morocco is set to break its avocado export record, despite the country’s deepening water crisis. Shipments for the 2023-2024 season could reach 60,000 tons, exceeding the previous record of 40,000 tons set between July 2023 and January 2024, according to the Moroccan Avocado Association. Favorable weather and increased production area boosted avocado production by 20% in 2023. Challenges persist for the water intensive cultivation of avocados, including droughts, water scarcity, and the removal of government irrigation subsidies for new avocado farms. Currently, Morocco primarily exports to four EU countries: the Netherlands, Spain, France, and Germany, with the UK being another significant importer. Efforts to diversify export destinations are underway, with shipments to markets farther afield like Georgia.

In 2022, Morocco's Ministry of Agriculture raised among ordinary Moroccans and farmers alike when it described the country’s water crisis as the worst it has seen in four decades.

Despite the government promises to address the water crisis, the country’s expanding fruit production- an import source of export earnings- is placing an ever-heavier strain on the country’s dwindling water resources.