Egyptian soft fruit nurseries interested in the Moroccan market

The weather disruptions in Morocco have had a severe impact on the soft fruit sector, raising concerns among industry professionals about the supply of suitable, resistant plants.

The issue is of such importance that the fourth edition of the International Soft Fruit Festival, held from January 7 to 11 in Kénitra, Morocco, was mostly devoted to discussions on plants and nurseries. According to the organizers, the main aim of the festival is to raise awareness among growers of the urgency of the subject and to encourage both Moroccan and foreign nurseries to supply good quality plants and to invest in Morocco.

Emad Mahdy, CEO of Egyptian Fayruz Nurseries, said: "I took part in the festival following a valuable invitation from the Moroccan red fruit association. The event sparked in-depth scientific and technical discussions on the issue of plants, which represent a major challenge for Moroccan and Egyptian growers. The very newest technologies were presented, in terms of irrigation, nutrition, and all agricultural operations linked to red fruit, with enthusiastic participation from professionals from all over the world. I had the honor of sharing the Egyptian experience and benefiting from that of my Moroccan counterparts."

"Today, both Moroccan and Egyptian growers are facing a real problem with the supply of high-quality plants that are resistant to climatic disturbances," adds Emad, "This problem was particularly acute last season, with significant yield losses. I had the great honor of presenting Fayruz's work and my advice on disease treatment and nutrition to Moroccan growers. Egypt's experience in strawberry production, the most longstanding in the Arab world, has made us the world's leading exporter of frozen strawberries and third largest exporter of fresh strawberries".