The exceptional floods that struck the north of the Kingdom, particularly the Gharb and Loukkos regions, have caused considerable damage to the agricultural sector, especially to avocado orchards, jeopardizing the end of the 2025–2026 export campaign and weakening a sector that has become strategic for export agriculture.
Damages
Torrential rains and violent winds led to prolonged flooding in numerous farms located in low-lying areas, notably in Moulay Bousselham, Ben Labsout, Sidi Mohammed Ben Mansour and Mnasra. These conditions caused massive fruit drop from trees, as well as severe physiological damage, including cases of root asphyxiation and tree mortality.
Youssef El Khlifi, representative of the export company Avonature, confirmed to FreshPlaza the scale of the losses. He explained that “no one can yet quantify the damage, but it is enormous in the avocado sector. In particular, in the Gharb and Moulay Bousselhem regions, many farms are submerged. Violent winds and relentless rainfall caused widespread fruit drop, and the trees have also suffered severe damage, with many completely destroyed or dead from asphyxiation.”
The situation is all the more critical as the campaign had not yet been fully completed. Until mid-January, sector estimates indicated that around 20,000 tonnes were still destined for export. A significant portion of these volumes concerned producers who had deliberately delayed harvesting in order to benefit from better prices, particularly ahead of Ramadan. However, weather conditions and logistical disruptions brought shipments to a halt.
The port of Tanger Med, the main export hub for Moroccan fruit, experienced several operational interruptions due to adverse weather, further worsening economic losses. “Significant volumes were still awaiting harvest at the end of the season, but exports have been interrupted in recent weeks, either because of fruit losses or due to frequent suspensions of operations at the port of Tangier,” El Khlifi specified.
These floods come after a season already weakened by extreme heatwaves during the previous summer, which had significantly reduced production potential. This succession of climatic hazards highlights the sector’s growing vulnerability to extreme events.
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This shock follows two historic campaigns during which Morocco exceeded 100,000 tonnes of avocado exports, confirming its position among the main suppliers to the European market. The loss of part of the orchards, particularly in the most exposed areas, could now have repercussions over several future campaigns, given the time required for trees to return to full production.
In the immediate term, producers are entering a phase of assessment and recovery. “Now that weather conditions have improved, it is time to assess the damage and begin treatments to save what can still be saved this season. Unfortunately, for many producers, the losses are total in terms of both fruit and trees,” concluded El Khlifi.
