Morocco: Record Fresh Potato Imports After Floods

Morocco imported more than 12,000 tonnes of fresh potatoes in the 2025/26 marketing year (July 2025 – June 2026) — a 50% increase over the previous five years combined and 2.4 times the previous record set in 2008/09. The Netherlands supplied more than half of the total volume, France around a third, and Belgium the remainder. The surge was triggered by floods in January and February 2026 in northern production zones, most notably the Loukkos basin, where some farms lost their entire crop. Imports peaked in April and May, which together accounted for nearly 80% of the annual volume. Critically, the influx coincided with a surplus on the European market, allowing Morocco to cover its domestic deficit with cheap raw material.

The outlook for 2026/27 is markedly less favourable. With no European surplus anticipated, Morocco will not have access to the same low-cost source should a similar weather shock recur — a vulnerability that highlights the country’s exposure to climate-driven supply disruptions and its reliance on European market conditions to cushion domestic shortfalls.