Morocco has just begun exporting top-of-the range clementines to China, according to a report from Le Matin.
Organised by the Maroc Fruit Board and departing from Agadir, the first 20-tonne shipment is set to arrive on 20 December and will be the first Moroccan export to the Chinese market.
The aim for the Moroccan exporters is reportedly to increase annual shipments to approximately 40,000-50,000 tonnes in the next five years.
Ahmed Derrab, secretary general of the Moroccan association of citrus exporters (ASPAM), said that this breakthrough had been the result of two years' hard work, involving the visit of Chinese authorities to production sites in Morocco, as well as to packhouses and ports.
This agreement with China forms part of Morocco's Plan Maroc Vert, which eyes the opening of brand-new markets in order to increase exports from the current 550,000 tonnes to some 1.3m tonnes by 2020.
