Morocco expects grain harvest to double following heavy winter rains

Moroccan grain traders and millers are forecasting that the country’s cereal harvest could double this season thanks to abundant winter rainfall. Flooding in the northwestern plains, while significant locally, is expected to have only a limited impact on overall production.

Industry leaders plan to add a portion of domestic wheat to strategic reserves “without restricting imports,” said Moulay Abdelkader Alaoui, head of the Federation of Industrial Millers (FNM), who expects the domestic wheat harvest to reach 6 million tonnes.

Omar Yacoubi, head of Morocco’s Wheat Trading Federation (FNCL), estimates total cereal production at 8–9 million tonnes this year, including around 5 million tonnes of soft wheat. Last year, the harvest totaled 4.4 million tonnes, with 2.4 million tonnes of soft wheat.

Heavy rainfall this winter exceeded the 30-year average by 34% and was three times higher than last year, while dam levels rose to 70% from 25% the previous year. Total cereal-planted area increased to 3.7 million hectares from 2.6 million the year before. Flooding in the northwestern plains destroyed about 110,000 hectares, but higher yields on other plains are expected to offset these losses.

Shipping delays have also affected grain imports. Strong swells and storms since mid-December disrupted operations at the ports of Casablanca and Jorf Lasfar, leaving 70 ships carrying 1 million tonnes of wheat waiting offshore. Importers have requested the government extend the subsidy program until June 1 to help cover additional costs caused by these delays. French exporters traditionally supply around two-thirds of Morocco’s soft wheat import needs, approximately 3.5 million tonnes.

Tags: wheat, Morocco, crop forecast