NEW YORK: Moroccan wheat imports will tumble this season, but not to the 19-year low forecast by Washington, US officials said, despite taking an upbeat view of the country’s harvest prospects.
The US Department of Agriculture bureau in Rabat forecast wheat imports by Morocco – which last season bought in 4.2m tonnes of the grain making it one of the world’s biggest buyers – tumbling to 2.8m tonnes in 2015-16.
The decline will be felt mostly in buy-ins of soft wheat, which Morocco purchases largely from the European Union, which will fall by some 1m tonnes to 2.3m tonnes.
Imports of durum – the type used in making the likes of flat bread and pasta, and which the country usually buys from Canada – will fall to roughly 500,000 tonnes, from the 577,000 tonnes bought in 2014-15 on a June-to-May basis.
Expectations of a sharp drop in imports are being fuelled by estimates of a strong domestic harvest this year, with the Moroccan government estimating the wheat crop at a record 8.0m tonnes, including 2.4m tonnes of durum.
“The in January eliminated deficits in moisture that developed earlier at the beginning of the growing season, allowing satisfactory crop development in major production areas,” the USDA bureau said.
“Furthermore, indications are that farmers are planting more and more certified seeds along with certified fertilizer which results in higher yields.”
