From Souss to London and Oslo: Moroccan Berries on European Consumers' Tables

Recent data on the 2025/2026 marketing season for red fruits have shown an increase in Moroccan exports of fresh blackberries, raspberries and fresh cranberries to a number of European countries, the total flow of these species to the sole British and Norwegian markets exceeding 19,000 tonnes during the season.

The specialised platform “East Fruit” reported, citing official British data, that Morocco exported, between July 2025 and June 2025, 18,400 tonnes of red fruits to the United Kingdom, worth more than £132 million, explaining that the rise compared with the 2024/2025 marketing season, “although modest” as it did not exceed 1.6 %, “set a new record for the two countries”. At the same time, Morocco’s share topped 50 % of Norway’s total imports of fresh raspberries and blackberries, Moroccan exports of these two fruits to the Scandinavian country amounting to 707 tonnes in the period July 2025–June 2026, valued at over €9.3 million.

Explaining the surge in Moroccan red‑fruit exports, especially fresh cranberries, raspberries and blackberries, Abdel Razzaq Zerouali, a professional player in vegetable and fruit export, said that “the harvest and marketing period of the Moroccan crop, which runs from September to June, coincides with a decline in production in European countries”, also stressing “the excellent quality of the Moroccan product”.

Al‑Zarwali added, in a statement to Hespress, that “raspberries in particular are difficult to pack, condition and then export”, noting that “they are generally marketed at prices ranging between 90 and 130 dirhams per kilogram”. The professional highlighted that the list of destinations for Moroccan‑grown raspberries has expanded to include “many European countries; among them Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and France”.

Al‑Zarwali confirmed that “large quantities of these red fruits were destined for abroad because of their high prices, while the rest was taken by major retailers”. Meanwhile, Anas Mansouri, former researcher at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), said that “red‑fruit production in Morocco has undergone a major transformation and is no longer limited to strawberries (frites); it has rather expanded to blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and fresh cranberries”. Mansouri added, in a statement to Hespress, that “in the Ksous regions, this agriculture started in Chtouka Ait Baha; but today it covers farms in Taroudant and Tiznit and extends to Guelmim”. The agricultural expert explained this dynamic in Moroccan red‑fruit production “not only by expanding production areas; but also by increasing productivity per hectare”.

The same speaker said this evolution is also driven by “the presence of water and the nature of the Moroccan climate”, emphasizing “the advances in production techniques which now rely on greenhouse agriculture and rational, precise fertilisation”, indicating that “studies carried out in the western regions have shown an increase in raspberry yields when phosphate and potassium fertilisation is adopted”.

The aforementioned expert also highlighted the capacity of Moroccan agriculture to develop varieties capable of withstanding transport and storage, supported “by the development of agricultural research and the technical framework for red‑fruit cultivation”. Anas Mansouri did not overlook the influx of many investors from countries such as France and Spain, driven “by the presence of cheap production factors in Morocco; including those related to labour, which remains cheap” compared with European countries.

Source: Hespress