Tomato production in Morocco has seen a recent decline owing to cooling temperatures in the Souss Massa region, as indicated by local tomato grower Mustapha Aouragh, who spoke to Fresh Plaza.
Aouragh shared with FreshPlaza that the current lower temperatures, starting at 10 degrees Celsius in the Agadir region, have notably impacted tomato yields. Yields have now dropped to an average of 500 kg per hectare per day, with a harvesting frequency of every two days, a significant decrease from the 1000-1200 kg recorded merely two weeks earlier.
Aside from temperature fluctuations, losses caused by ToBRFV continue to be a significant unpredictable factor affecting overall production volumes. Aouragh emphasized the necessity of removing contaminated plants as the primary solution, with volume losses fluctuating weekly among different growers. Despite challenges, improvements in growers’ techniques have led to reduced losses due to both temperature drops and enhanced contamination prevention.
This decrease in yields coincides with sustained high demand, notably from Dutch buyers, creating challenges in meeting commitments to other buyers such as those from France and the UK.
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