The heat waves that hit Morocco this year had a significant impact on crops in the Loukkos region, particularly raspberries, blueberries, and avocados, to various degrees. Zouhir Disouria, a grower based in Larache, provides an update on the situation.
Disouria states: "We experienced two intense heat waves, at the end of June and the end of July. The one in June was particularly severe and caused significant losses in the avocado orchards. However, the impact on raspberries and blueberries was less severe, and we hope that the worst that could happen is a delay in the start of the season."
© First Green
The first raspberry harvests were scheduled to begin in the second half of August for early varieties, with other varieties following in the third week of September. However, according to Disouria, the heatwave in June caused abortions, leaving the plants in a vegetative state where fertigation and treatments were useless. He adds: "The start of the harvest will depend on the varieties; some will be available on schedule, while others will not yield a harvest until the last week of September or the first week of October. It should be noted that the delay in the season is also due to a delay in the delivery of plants to replace those scorched by the sun."
In terms of raspberry volumes, the situation remains unclear and will depend on weather developments in the coming weeks, according to the producer. "In any case, I don't think we can expect volumes to exceed those of last season," he adds.
"Avocados have been hit the hardest, with huge irreplaceable losses. This heatwave comes as we're launching our first avocado season, but we remain positive," the grower adds. According to industry sources, losses to the heatwave are estimated between 30% and 50% of the upcoming season's volumes.
© Youness Bensaid | HortiDaily.com
Disouria concludes: "At First Green Land, we are an ambitious new player in the export of berries and avocados. To access international markets with high standards, we have launched the GF.GL Fresh brand. We also added avocados as one of our flagship products, and remain determined to grow and establish long-term partnerships on the global market."
For more information:
Zouhir Daissoria
FirstGreenLand
Tel.: +212661902434
Email: [email protected]
www.globalfirstgreenland.com
