(Ecofin Agency) – Morocco has been facing a period of persistent drought for more than 6 years which is affecting the agricultural sector. The impact of this climatic phenomenon on livestock productivity is forcing the country to increase its imports of dairy products.
Scotland hopes to begin shipments of fresh pasteurized milk to Morocco by the end of the first half of 2025. This was revealed by Paul Grant, chairman of the Scottish Dairy Growth Board, an organization dedicated to the development and the growth of the Scottish dairy industry on Wednesday 13 November.
“We are in talks with the largest agricultural and agri-food company in Morocco. The director responsible for food and processing visited Scotland with his agricultural technical director in July and we will be in Morocco during November,” the manager then specified.
The ambition displayed by the Scottish sector is to succeed in shipping more than 150 million pounds ($189.7 million) of pasteurized milk per year to the Moroccan market by 2030. For the Moroccan part, it is This is an opportunity to diversify its supply of dairy products which is mainly produced from countries such as the Netherlands, France, Poland, Belgium and Ireland.
According to data compiled on the Trademap platform, the Shereef kingdom imported more than $406 million worth of milk and derived products on the international market in 2023. Furthermore, the drop in productivity of the local industry due to The combined effect of drought and rising input prices could strengthen the North African country’s dependence on imports.
According to data from the Interprofessional Federation of the Dairy Sector “Maroc Lait”, Moroccan milk production has already fallen by 25% since 2020, falling to less than 2 million tonnes currently.
Stéphanas Assocle
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Morocco
