Moroccan farmers have emphasized the importance of the current rainfall, believing it could help save the ongoing agricultural season, make up for recent delays, and possibly replicate the success of the 2020/2021 season, when cereal production reached 98 million quintals before sharply declining in the next 3 seasons.
Moroccan farmers told Hespress AR that the impact of the rains in February and March will vary by region depending on the crops, but it will be positive if they continue, noting that all scenarios are possible, including a repeat of the 2020/2021 agricultural season.
They added that cereal production in the 2023/2024 season was quite modest, dropping 42% from the previous season to 31.2 million quintals, with planted areas also shrinking by 33% to 2.47 million hectares, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.
Mohamed El Ibrahimi, a farmer from the Casablanca-Settat region, told Hespress AR that “there’s still time to achieve a good cereal yield this season, as long as rainfall continues and intensifies in the coming months, especially after the cold period ends, adding that if current conditions persist, Morocco could match the 2020/2021 season, the best in the last 5 years.”
El Ibrahimi stressed that “farmland productivity is decent, despite being lower than a good season and a general decrease in planted areas,” emphasizing that “repeating the 2021 productivity scenario isn’t impossible if rainfall continues at current levels and is supported by warm spring temperatures.”
Hamid Bouhanoune, a farmer and vice president of the Fes-Meknes Agricultural Chamber, shares a similar view, stressing the importance of recent and current rainfall, and noting that “the full picture of this season will emerge by the end of March.”
Bouhanoune told Hespress AR that the current rainfall is beneficial for Fes-Meknes, though less so for Gharb, which saw some delays this season. But Fes-Meknes can still recover from the earlier rainfall shortage.
He added that continued rainfall in February and March could determine the season’s outcome, with the possibility of repeating the 2020/2021 season, when late rains led to a successful harvest of 98 million quintals.
Bouhanoune emphasized that February and March rains are key to making up for early-season losses, especially if combined with mild weather, which boosts cereal production and reduces imports.
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