The weak cereal harvest during the current agricultural season (2020) in Morocco has impacted the volume of Moroccan cereal imports. The Kingdom has to compensate for the deficit increased its imports of cereals during the first seven months of the current year by about 50%.
The national production of cereals during the current season will not exceed 30 million quintals, which represents a decrease of 42% percent compared to the previous agricultural season. This carelessness is due to low rainfall (rare and uneven rainfall). According to official statistics from the National Ports Agency (ANP), released this week, grain imports amounted to 5.9 million tonnes (59 million quintals) from the start of the year to the end. last July, an increase of 49% compared to the same period last year.
The port of Casablanca is among those, not to say the one that received the largest volume of cereal imports, at around 3.4 million tonnes (34 million quintals), which represents more than 56% of imports. grain totals. The ports of Jorf Lasfar, Nador, Agadir and Safi also received ships loaded with tonnes of grain imported from several countries, Europe and America. These ports have all recorded an increase in traffic volume.
The government expected in the 2020 PLF, to achieve a cereal yield of around 70 million quintals, but the delay, weakness and lags in precipitation have gone through this and have confused all expectations. Regarding the 2021 forecasts, it is indicated that the government of Saad Dine El Otmani forecasts a cereal harvest at the national level of about 70 million quintals, but under the cover of an agricultural season where the rain will be at the rendezvous.
Morocco consumes an average of 100 million quintals of cereals per year, and it has always had recourse to the international market to import the quantity necessary to cover the deficit of its national harvest.
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