Moroccan exporters and producers of avocados protested on the 15th of January in Kenitra on the occasion of the annual meeting by the Moroccan Avocado Association. Abdellah El Yamlahi, president of the association said: “The industry needs to improve its processes of integration in order to be able to adapt to changes in the market. There are more than 150 producers and exporters that are gathering today to discuss pressing issues within the industry. International competitive pressures us to tackle the challenges of quality if we don’t wish to be left behind or be unable to leverage the assets that we’ve gained.”

The representative for exporters describes these issues in terms of quality: “If we want to expand our market share, particularly in the emerging market we’re hoping to expand into, including those in the United States, we need to consider not just regarding size but also how we present our goods. It is essential to make avocados which are rated at the top level of Class A instead of just trying to surpass the threshold of tolerance.”

Expanding into new markets is essential to the Moroccan avocado industry that beats the record of production each year. El Yamlahi comments, “It’s one of the most discussed problems. This isn’t just Moroccan production, which is currently increasing. Around the world, avocado production is increasing more quickly than consumption. The consumption of avocados in the world is expanding at 4.85 percent. The world is currently experiencing the midst of an overproduction period and this is occurring in Morocco and across the rest around the globe.”

“However the current phase of development will only last a short time,” El Yamlahi adds. “Production increase is not unlimited in time and sooner we’ll hit an equilibrium point because of the limitations of cultivation surfaces. Consumption, on the contrary of the other hand, will rise linearly, and if not rapidly, as increasing people realize the health benefits that avocados offer.”

As well as the issues regarding production quantity and quality, the requirement for integrating the entire industry was discussed in depth during the conference. It currently has two governing bodies, The Gharb Growers’ Association, as well as the Exporters’ Association (MAVA). El Yamlahi says, “We are in need of a united entity that combines everyone and also other stakeholders within the value chain of avocado within Morocco. Particularly, we want an inter-professional body to engage with government officials. The process is in the beginning with the intention that the profession will be able to see daylight in the near future. Also, we have launched an initiative to organize an event called the Morocco Avocado Conference, which is the regular industry gathering. The conference is scheduled to be announced in the near future.”

There was no profession that had been interprofessional until recently the exporters and growers were themselves marginalized a few years ago, when the government decided to halt the avocado irrigation subsidy due to pressure from the public but without consulting with industry actors. “It was an arbitrarily-made choice made in the absence of us. If we establish an interprofessional that we can have an organization which represents us in talks and discussions with the authorities in this type of scenario. It’s a good thing that we’ve the meanwhile won the discussion of thoughts, and have proved educationally to the public by proving to the national as well as international media, that the avocado industry isn’t a bad business that drains the water supply.”

El Yamlahi also commented on the present season, saying: “With a production of 90000 tonnes, this season will break the all-time production record and export records. This huge amount of production, within the midst of a fiercely competitive market has led to prices falling this year. At present, the prices are rising a bit in comparison to the beginning of the season. However, we are sure that this won’t be the case throughout the season.”

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Abdellah Elyamlahi

Moroccan Avocado Association (MAVA)

Tel: +212 678732391

Email: [email protected]