April 4, 2012

Moroccan cereals yield may drop to three million tonnes

In 2012, the cereals crop of Morocco may drop to as low as three million tonnes due to the effects of drought, Le Matin newspaper reported on Tuesday (Apr 3) citing the agriculture ministry's estimates.

The ministry's spokespersons could not be reached to comment the report.

"According to forecasts from the agriculture ministry, the cereals harvest [this year] should stand at between three and four million tonnes," Le Matin said.

Last month, the head of the country's agricultural research institute told Reuters that the cereals harvest would not reach half of last year's 8.4 million tonnes, while cereals demand stands at some seven million tonnes.

The USDA later projected Morocco's wheat import needs to exceed five million tonnes this year from 3.2 million tonnes for the previous campaign.

Barley imports are projected to almost double to one million tonnes.

Last year's harvest included 4.17 million tonnes of soft wheat, 1.85 million tonnes of durum wheat and 2.34 million tonnes of barley.

The shortage comes at a sensitive time for the North African country's US$100-billion economy, which relies on agriculture for 14% of its output.

Agriculture employs 40% of the 11-million workforce in Morocco, one of the world's ten biggest cereal importers, which relies heavily on rain due mostly to the predominance of subsistence and rudimentary farming.