Morocco overtakes U.S. as third biggest raspberry exporter

Moroccan raspberry exports reached 56,000 tons in 2022, toppling the 50,000 tons shipped by the U.S. during the same period, according to information and analytics platform EastFruit. The feat makes it the world’s third-largest exporter of the fruit. 

This comes after a consistent five-year increase in the northern African country’s shipments, with 35,000 tons already exported for the 2022-23 season.

“Despite a slight decline in exports in February 2023, the country still has every chance to set a new record in fresh raspberry exports over the whole marketing year 2022-23,” EastFruit said.

The company also notes that Morocco’s raspberry exports have more than doubled over the past five seasons.

Tomatoes and blueberries are also among Morocco's agricultural exports.

With these latest numbers, the global raspberry market continues to be dominated by Mexico and Spain, with 112,000 and 75,000 tons exported respectively in 2022.

However, international trade could be directly affecting Morocco’s national market, which has experienced soaring prices.

The situation could be similar to what occurred for Moroccan tomato, onion and potato exports, when price surges led to a ban on vegetable exports to West Africa in February of this year.

Additionally, the country is currently facing challenges in water resources, with locals asking the government to put a temporary halt on exports to meet local demand.