Morocco has quadrupled its frozen raspberry exports to the European Union (EU) in two years, from 3,600 tons in 2020 to 16,700 tons in 2022.
Moroccan exports of ripe and fresh raspberries to the EU have increased to 56,200 tons in 2022, following a 36% increase in 2021. For Andriy Yarmak, an economist at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Investment Center, quoted by East-fruit.com, “Morocco is a unique example of a development model for berry exports.
“Morocco has focused on exports of high value-added products. However, with the expansion of fresh raspberry and other berry production for export, mainly to EU countries, an opportunity has arisen for the development of berry freezing. Both segments are now developing dynamically and complementing each other,” says the expert.
This boom in Moroccan exports of raspberries to the EU has allowed the kingdom to expand its customer portfolio by including new destinations such as the United Arab Emirates, Brazil, South Africa, Croatia, Canada, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. Almost all (90%) of Moroccan raspberries were previously destined for England, Germany, France and Spain.
According to the same source, raspberry exports bring in more than $360 million a year for Moroccan producers, adding that exports of fresh raspberries are more profitable in Morocco than exports of any other fruit. Morocco is in the Top 10 of global suppliers of frozen fruit, behind Ukraine, Serbia and Poland, major exporters of frozen raspberries in Europe.
