Morocco's cereals harvest expected to double after wet winter

By Ahmed Eljechtimi

RABAT, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Moroccan grains traders and millers expect Morocco to double its cereals harvest this season after abundant winter rains, with limited impact from floods in the northwestern plains of the North African country, which is a major grains importer.

Industry leaders plan to add domestic wheat to strategic reserves this year "without compromising imports", said Moulay Abdelkader Alaoui, head of the federation of industrial millers FNM, who expects a domestic harvest of 6 million metric tons.

"We expect a good cereals harvest this year of 8 to 9 million tons, including around 5 million tons of soft wheat," Omar Yacoubi, head of Morocco's wheat trading federation FNCL, told Reuters. The previous harvest was 4.4 million tons, including 2.4 million tons of soft wheat.

Morocco traditionally cancels its wheat import subsidy and reinstates customs duties to protect the local harvest.

But this year importers, millers and traders have asked the government to extend the subsidy window to June 1, instead of May 1, to compensate for costs incurred due to bad weather.

Rainfall this winter was 34% above the 30-year average and triple the previous year's levels, while dam filling rates improved to 70% from about 25%, agriculture ministry data shows, while the total grain-planted area rose to 3.7 million hectares, from 2.6 million the year before.

Flooding in the fertile northwestern plains, which destroyed 110,000 hectares, had a "localised" impact, Yacoubi said, with wheat losses to be offset by higher yields in larger plains.

DELAYED SHIPPING

Large swells and storms since mid-December have disrupted port operations at Casablanca and Jorf Lasfar, which handle 80% of Morocco's wheat imports.

Shipping delays have weighed heavily on importers, even as international wheat prices remain below the subsidy eligibility threshold, Yacoubi said, adding that as of this week, 70 ships carrying 1 million tons of wheat were queued outside ports, leading to low stock levels.

Moroccan importers are paying about $20,000 per day for ships waiting offshore, pushing them to request an extension of the government subsidy programme.

Traditionally, only half of Morocco's harvest reaches industrial mills because small farmers retain wheat for their own use, but Alaoui said this year's plentiful rainfall should improve crop quality and encourage more collection.

French exporters expect to supply about two-thirds of Morocco's soft wheat import needs, or 3.5 million tons.

From June 2025 to January 2026, Morocco imported 7 million tons of grains, up 12% year-on-year, including 3.2 million tons of soft wheat.

During the same period, France topped Morocco's soft wheat suppliers with 2.26 million tons, followed by Argentina with 233,144 tons, Russia with 227,070 tons, Germany with 120,084 tons and the U.S. with 94,688 tons.