Morocco has reported a significant surge in its primary grain production for the 2022-2023 farming season, with an estimated total of 55.1 million quintals, compared to 34 million quintals during the 2021-2022 season, marking a substantial increase of 61.8%.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water, and Forests released a statement highlighting this impressive increase.
According to the ministry’s data, this production comes from an area of grain cultivation covering 3.67 million hectares, up from 3.57 million hectares in the previous season, representing a 2.8% increase.
In its report for the 2022-2023 farming season, the ministry noted that the national average yield reached 15 quintals per hectare.
Additionally, the production by type amounted to 29.8 million quintals of soft wheat, 11.8 million quintals of hard wheat, and 13.5 million quintals of barley.
The ministry also revealed that four regions contributed to 82.9% of the national production. These regions are Fes-Meknes (27.1%), Rabat-Sale-Kenitra (26.5%), Casablanca-Settat (16.9%), and Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima (12.4%).
Furthermore, the ministry pointed out that the significant increase in temperatures (heat stress) and water stress in the main grain-producing areas led to a decrease in yields.
In this context, the ministry noted that the 2022-2023 farming season was characterized by reduced rainfall. As of July 20, 2023, cumulative rainfall across the country stood at 247 mm, a 32% decrease compared to a typical season (362 mm) and a 22% increase compared to the previous season (202 mm) on the same date.
