Good news for onion producers in the Fez-Meknes region. The project to set up a modern unit of storage and packaging dedicated to this product is practically complete. Its entry into service will allow farmers in the region to avoid the loss of 30% of this important harvest and, therefore, improve the quality andexport of onions to national and international markets.
The project, executed by theFez-Meknes regional project execution agencyhas eight compartments with a storage capacity of 4,000 tonnes and covers a total area of 4,672 m2. Its implementation will have required a budget of 18.5 million dirhams, financed in full by the regional council. The platform is located in theAgropolis of Meknes. Onion cultivation figures prominently in the Kingdom’s market gardening sector. Indeed, in the agricultural areas reserved for seasonal market gardening and which amount to nearly 200,000 hectares, the onion cultivation weighs 10%, placing itself after the potato (24%) and the melon-watermelon (21%) and ahead of the tomato (8%) and the carrot (5%).
Total national production of bulbs is estimated between 300,000 and 400,000 tonnes per year, i.e. an average yield varying between 18 and 21 tonnes per hectare. There Fez-Meknes region holds the rope of the main production basins followed by Béni Mellal-Khénifra et Marrakech-Safi. Note that the majority of onion needs are met by national production. According to a study carried out in 2023 by two Moroccan researchers, Bouchra Hamidi et Brahim Bourkhisson the profitability of the onion production in Moroccothis crop provides income to farmers although it is not very profitable for everyone.
For producers who use a gravity irrigation system, their level of profitability could be constrained by the high cost of production, the source of which would be the inefficiency of use of irrigation water. For small farms, the drop in profitability is due to unexplained use of inputs and failure to master the technical aspects of cultivation. The results of the correlational analysis carried out by the two researchers highlighted the significant and positive effect of the type of irrigation and the level of education on net income. According to them, it is necessary for farmers to choose new and innovative agricultural techniques that increase productivity and production efficiency and convert their irrigation to drip irrigation.
In addition, the profitability of onions was also sensitive to the unexpected reduction in production which could be due to various agricultural risks. It is essential that farmers have a good understanding of these risks in order to be able to manage the sensitivity of their production to a number of factors that could cause a reduction in profitability. Specifically for the cost of production, the positive correlation with net agricultural income highlights the importance of investments in agricultural production activities. In addition, the study indicates, given that profitability is sensitive to the level of production costs, it is crucial to control the latter. This would require certain producers to pay attention to their choices when making decisions regarding investments and allocation of funds, provide technical supervision and training to farmers on the known more efficient localized irrigation technique and encourage the minority farmers using gravity irrigation to switch to localized irrigation. The research results show that onion production in the Fez-Meknes region is still profitable. If it meets all these conditions, the onion will maintain its qualification as a food safety crop on the Moroccan and African market.
