The 2014-2015 Moroccan citrus fruit season was affected by a lack of rain at the start of the season and then flooding at harvest. These factors led to a 14.3% decrease in production (1.9 million tons) compared to the previous season.

But perhaps worse still is the effect of Citrus Tristeza Virus, which is particularly harmful for citrus fruits grafted from bitter orange roots, which is the case for 95% of Moroccan citrus production. To stop the virus spreading the government has launched a strategy to help pay back producers for trees that have been infected and plant new ones.

According to Plan Maroc Vert, the country aims to produce 2.9 million tons of citrus and export 1.3 million tons by 2018.

Source - http://www.freshplaza.com/

Morocco - Bad weather, virus affects Moroccan citrus production

The 2014-2015 Moroccan citrus fruit season was affected by a lack of rain at the start of the season and then flooding at harvest. These factors led to a 14.3% decrease in production (1.9 million tons) compared to the previous season. But perhaps worse still is the effect of Citrus Tristeza Virus, which is particularly harmful for citrus fruits grafted from bitter orange roots, which is the case for 95% of Moroccan citrus production. To stop the virus spreading the government has launched a strategy to help pay back producers for trees that have been infected and plant new ones.