Morocco’s olive oil production is projected to rise by 25% at the end of 2022. This is according to data from the European Commission who sees the increase to be by 40,000 tonnes.
In its Spring 2022 outlook for agriculture produce, the European Commission notes that oil production worldwide has largely recovered in non-EU countries. In major oil olive producing countries, production largely increased or remained stable. Tunisia’s production rose by 70%, Morocco’s went up by 25%, while Turkey’s production remained stable, the report indicates.
Olive oil imports
Despite recovering production levels, olive oil prices remain 15% above the five-year average. The price of olive oil currently ranges between €320-330 per 100 kilograms, according to the report. Olive oil production is an important subsector of agriculture in Morocco. The industry employs 380,000 workers and has a 19% share in Morocco’s domestic edible oil market.
The country’s olive oil imports generated approximately MAD 1.8 billion (roughly $180 million) annual average between 2013-2017. The industry is equally an integral part of any of Morocco’s agriculture reforms. The most recent agriculture reform, “Green Generation 2020-2030,” aims to increase the sector’s overall imports to MAD 60 billion ($6.6 billion) by 2030.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Morocco’s olive oil industry still has a long way to go. Despite the country’s potential to be a global olive oil producer, it lacks a consumers’ culture for the product. According to survey data cited in The Olive Oil Times, only 4% of the overall population knows the difference between extra virgin olive oil and non-virgin olive oils.
