After having been successful for a long time, prune cultivation is in free fall in Morocco

Morocco faced with a shortage of prunes: imports are exploding, exports are plummeting. The first eight months of 2023 witnessed a significant increase in imports of dried prunes to Morocco, already exceeding the total of the previous seven years. Between January and August this year, the country imported 1.7 thousand tons of prunes worth more than 5 million US dollars. A remarkable statistic compared to the 1 thousand tonnes imported over the previous seven consecutive years. This trend marks a significant change compared to the 2016-2017 period, when imports of prunes into Morocco were relatively modest, oscillating between 200 and 250 tonnes. In subsequent years, imports of this product were almost negligible, if not non-existent. However, last year marked the start of an increase, peaking this year at record levels. Unlike previous years, where imports of dried prunes to Morocco increased mainly during the summer season, 2023 was marked by continuous deliveries from January to ...