Drought ditches Morocco’s cereals harvest by 43% in 2024

Morocco’s harvest of three main grains, soft wheat, durum, and barley, dropped 43% to 3.12 million tons in 2024, due to a severe drought that slashes cultivated areas.

The cultivated area shrunk to 2.47 million hectares, compared with 3.67 million hectares last season, the agriculture ministry said.

Soft wheat harvest dropped to 1.75 million tons, while that of durum and barley decreased to 0.71 million tons and 0.66 million tons respectively.

Late rainfall and unevenly distributed rainfall were to blame for the meagre harvest. Rainfall was 31% lower compared to an average year, the ministry said.

Morocco would have to rely on more wheat imports as it also plans to reinforce stockpiles at a context marked by a drop in prices.