Moroccan fruit and vegetable exports to Canada note boom for 4th year in a row

Morocco’s exports of fruits and vegetables to the Canadian market have witnessed a significant increase for the fourth year in a row.

According to EastFruit media, Moroccan shipments of this produce surged, from 2018 to 2023, by 14% in tons and by 33% in US dollars annually.

In 2023, Moroccan exporters sent about 94 thousand tons of fresh, frozen, and dried fruits and vegetables—worth $95 million—to the Canadian market.

Compared to four years ago, when Moroccan growers delivered only 56,000 tons and $30 million worth of produce, this is considered a remarkable increase, says East Fruit.

Last year, there was a 15% increase in volume and a 20% increase in the value of exports to Canada.

With 83% of the total weight, mandarins topped Moroccan exports to the Canadian market. Oranges came in second with 12%, and the remaining produce included fresh blueberries, lemons, grapefruits, frozen fruits and vegetables, and some other products.

The surge in mandarin shipments to the Canadian market, which increased by 29% to 78 thousand tons, was the primary cause of Morocco’s export growth, according to the same source.

Conversely, sales of frozen strawberries and oranges decreased by 5.1 thousand tons and 11,000 tons, respectively.

East Fruit also noted that Moroccan blueberry deliveries witnessed a remarkable increase in 2023 as well, despite having little effect on the Kingdom’s final export.

It is worth mentioning that Morocco is Canada’s main source of mandarins, accounting for over one-third of all imports of these fruits that reach the country’s markets.

Also, Moroccan exporters ranked fourth in the orange segment of Canadian market providers last year, although their share was substantially lower at roughly 7%. On the other hand, the kingdom was ranked as the fifth-largest supplier of frozen strawberries.