Morocco: Potato Output Doubles to 2.19 Million Tonnes Since 2000 as Yields Reach 32.8 t/ha
Morocco harvested 2.19 million tonnes of potatoes in 2024, twice the 2000 level. The area stayed near 60,000–67,000 hectares, so almost all the growth came from yields.
Morocco harvested 2.19 million tonnes of potatoes in 2024, according to FAOSTAT data published by Our World in Data. In 2000, the country produced 1.09 million tonnes. Output has therefore doubled in 24 years.
Moroccan media give a similar order of magnitude. In November 2023, the business weekly Finances News Hebdo put annual production at 1.7 to 2 million tonnes. It gave the planted area as more than 60,000 hectares. Potatoes then covered 25% of the national vegetable area.
Yield did the work
Average yield rose from 18.0 t/ha in 2000 to 32.8 t/ha in 2024, according to FAOSTAT. The area moved much less. Dividing output by yield gives about 60,500 hectares in 2000. The same calculation gives about 67,000 hectares in 2024. Agence Ecofin, citing FAO, also reported close to 67,000 hectares for 2024.
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Moroccan yields are now close to southern European levels. In the same dataset, Spain averaged 32.1 t/ha and Egypt 30.1 t/ha in 2024.
Growth has not been smooth. Output reached 1.95 million tonnes in 2014 but fell to 1.80 million tonnes in 2023. The yield in 2023 was still 31.6 t/ha. The dip therefore came mainly from a smaller area, about 57,000 hectares by calculation. The rebound in 2024 was a rise of about 22% in one year.
Small farms on irrigated plains
Production is concentrated on the Atlantic plains and in irrigated inland zones, according to Finances News Hebdo. These include: Al Haouz, Tadla and Fès-Saïss. Agence Ecofin also lists Loukkos, Doukkala and the coast between Kénitra and Agadir.
Most farms grow between 0.5 and 3 hectares, the weekly reported. Growers depend on imported seed for high-value varieties. Common varieties include: Nicola, Spunta, Désirée, Timate, Roseval and Diamant. The same 2023 report said prices had risen from 4–6 dirhams per kg to 8–10 dirhams per kg.
Morocco ranked fifth among African producers in 2024, according to the FAO figures. Egypt led with 8.08 million tonnes. Algeria, Ethiopia and South Africa followed.
Why it matters
Morocco doubled its potato output without adding much land. The gain came from yields, which now match those in Spain. Future growth therefore depends on how much land growers can plant and irrigate each season.
The 2023 dip shows the risk. A loss of about 10,000 hectares cut national output by roughly 400,000 tonnes compared with 2024. For seed exporters, the reliance on imported seed for high-value varieties remains the key market signal.
Photo: Potatoes grown in the Sahara, Algeria (not Morocco) (illustrative). IRRIGATIONDZ / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
