Successive delays in the Moroccan blueberry season, primarily due to weather conditions, are complicating marketing and pushing exporters into a less typical window. Amid intense competition, signs of market shifts are emerging, presenting both risks and opportunities. Mehdi Benchekroun, Managing Director of DMB & Co., shares his perspective on the season.

Production difficulties—heat waves, cold spells, storms, and floods—have repeatedly delayed the peak harvest, reducing Morocco's usual advantage in its growing season. “Normally, Morocco's peak harvest comes just after that of Latin American countries like Peru, and just before Spain's, which gave us favorable trading conditions. However, due to this season's production problems and the extended Latin American harvests, we find ourselves in a market with abundant supply and slow sales,” he explains.

Mehdi Benchekroun, CEO of DMB & Co © DMC&co

“The fruit is available in large volumes on the European market,” adds Benchekroun, who works primarily with the Dutch and German markets. In this context, he notes that alternative origins, such as Egypt, are also gaining ground, with sustained growth.

In addition to the pressure in Europe, another significant front is emerging. “Moroccan blueberries appear to be losing ground in an equally important market, Russia, this season,” he maintains. According to his analysis, despite Russian demand, buyers are opting for China, which has the capacity to export jumbo blueberries of size 22+ at price levels that Morocco cannot match. This is compounded by disruptions at air hubs connecting to Russia and a rise in transportation costs since the beginning of March.

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At the same time, Benchekroun identifies a positive element: the barriers faced by Latin American origins in the US market during the last two seasons, in the context of the tariff war, have opened a space that was quickly filled by Moroccan exporters.

“Moroccan players quickly established themselves in the US market, despite its demanding requirements and logistical complexities. US buyers discovered that Morocco offers high-quality fruit, production processes that comply with FDA regulations, a robust supply chain, and an ecosystem of public and private actors that are very attentive to market needs and changes,” he says.

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“At DMB & Co., as specialists in fruit and vegetable exports since 2017 and in blueberries since 2021, covering both sourcing and export, and also acting as consultants for groups that have invested in the sector in Morocco, we remain open to all opportunities. We believe in the potential of the Russian market, in the loyalty of many European buyers to Moroccan origin, and also in new developments in the US market,” concludes Benchekroun.