• Morocco forecasts 160,000-ton date harvest, up 55% from last season

• Drâa-Tafilalet region leads with 76% of national production

• Growth supports efforts to reduce rising date import dependence
  

Morocco expects its date harvest to reach 160,000 tons in the 2025/2026 season, Agriculture Minister Ahmed El Bouari said during the 14th International Date Show (SIDATTES), held from October 29 to November 2 in Erfoud.

The forecast marks a 55% increase from last season’s 103,000 tons, driven by favorable weather conditions for date palm cultivation, particularly in the Drâa-Tafilalet region, which accounts for 76% of national output. The Souss-Massa and Oriental regions each contribute 11%.

Although the new forecast remains well below the sector’s 2030 goal of 300,000 tons a year, the expected rise in local production supports government efforts to curb reliance on imports.

According to data from the Foreign Exchange Office (OMC), the country’s date imports rose 26.6% between 2022 and 2024, reaching 138,000 tons. Meanwhile, the import bill increased 14.9% over the same period to 2.46 billion dirhams (about $266 million).

Stéphanas Assocle