The Olive Sector

IT’S A FRECH OLIVE SEASON

Look at this light in the olive trees : Its shines like a diamonds

August Renoir Frenche painter (1841-1919

As it is well known the autumn is the time of the collecting of the olives in the countries around the Mediterranean basin of which some begins the picking from the beginning of the season that extends until the end of November or December in fact the harvest of the olives depends on many factors; the variety of the olive, the maturity of the fruit and the climatic conditions, but also its commercial destination.

The Moroccan tree fruit consists mainly of olive tree with an area of over one million hectares spread over

ten regions, the most important are the region of Fez-Meknes and Marrakech-Safi which alone account for 54%. of the olive-growing area.

Studies to determine the origins of olive growing in Morocco, supported by the remains of the Phoenician and Roman sites, of Volubilis and Lexus in particular, reveal that they date back to the first millennium BC; the presence of oil mills and amphorae constitute tangible proof of its age, linked to the colonizations of Mediterranean cultures.



THE PRODUCTION

The patrimony of Moroccan olive growing is made up of 96% of the population variety “Moroccan Picholine”, consumed as table olive, broken green or ripe black, it has an average yield of oil, is of excellent quality, with a high content of oleic acid.

In addition, it has great resistance to freezing (it retains its fluidity down to – 12ºC), hence its use for canned products. However, other varieties are also planted such as “Meslala”, also consumed as a table olive, Picholine from Languedoc, mainly concentrated in irrigated areas (regions of Marrakech, Beni Mellal, Safi), Ascolana dura, Sévillane are intended for the extraction of edible oil.


SECTOR PERFORMANCE

Impacts of the strategic plan ” Green Morocco Plan”

on the olive growing sector (2008-18) :

Area Expansion : 1.073.000

Production Increase : 1.414.000 T

Export: 119.000T


THE OLIVE OIL

The crushing of the olives is carried out by modern industrial mills whose quality of treatment processes are qualified to international standards as well as by agricultural cooperatives which are approved and controlled by ONSSA. The oil extracted is then classified according to several qualitative criteria, mainly the level of acidity in order to be marketed:

Extra virgin olive oil. This is the best quality type of olive oil. It has an acidity of less than 0.8º and an impeccable taste and smell.

Virgin olive oil. Lower quality than the previous one, may have up to 2 degrees of acidity and slight defects in odor and flavor.


THE OLIVE TABLE

The preparation of table olives in brine is carried out by agrifood units, which integrate into their preparation and treatment procedures the food safety recommended by the HACCP method (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point), and also prepared by farmer’s cooperatives who have the obligation to comply with and respect the rules of public health hygiene by the National Food Sanitary Security Office (ONSSA)

The finished products are presented in various forms; whole olives, pitted, sliced or flavored with ingredients (thyme, bay leaf, basil, pepper, etc.)


BUSINESS


The international and local marketing of the products of the sector depends on the seasons and of course on the price factor, on average Morocco exports 12,000 T of olive oils and 70,000 T of table olives prepared in brine and is positioned as a major international supplier in this segment. The main markets for table olives are France, the United States of America, Italy and Germany, while olive oil exports are mainly destined for the United States of America, Spain and to Italy.

International specialists in the sector forecast in this 2020-21 season a drop in global production of 5% compared to the previous season, while in Morocco operators hope for olive oil production of 140,000 tonnes despite water stress of the season end.

The local food distribution network is mixed, so the production of table olive oil, which covers 20% of the national need for table oil, and table olives are sold in supermarkets and in weekly markets in rural areas, local shops or directly by agricultural cooperatives via specialized kiosks while Internet sales remain low for several reasons; infrastructure costs and IT resources; lack of suitable web platform.

In this view, the Food & Beeyond platform has set the objective of providing operators and professionals in the sector with an Internet sales area and thus facilitate access and use of this digital channel which reveals its daily use the profitability and commercial performance in these pandemic times


Your Growth Partner

Presentation

MOROCCO is a perfect agricultural country due to a rich and various relief composed of vast plains all along the Atlantic coast and the Mediterranean which are subject to climatic influences of oceanic, Mediterranean, desert, mountain and continental origin.

This environment has always encouraged the establishment of important agricultural regions throughout the territory whose the products are distinguished worldwide for their authentic flavours and colours.

Moroccan agriculture has been grafted into the socio-economic environment of the country as a strategic lever for development benefiting from incentive support measures and plans from the public authorities, thus inducing continuous progress in the management of its resources, diversification of its productivity and profitability.

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Thanks to a dam’s network spread across the country and the extension of irrigated areas, the fruit and vegetable sector offer strong opportunities for export development. Indeed, by its geographical position and its climate, Morocco is positioned as an important international supplier of the citrus, tomato, and fresh, frozen or brine vegetables segments in addition to fresh fruits (melon, strawberry) as well as the table oils and olives.

The used culture modes of this sector are seasonal in the open field or in a greenhouse. The exports of this sector are growing continuously.

THE LOCAL PRODUCTS

The Moroccan regions biodiversity is fertile in various local products marked by organic characteristics and centuries-old preparation know-how of the rural population of these regions.

Aromatic plants Saffron, Chamomile, Rosemary, Argan oil, Orange oil capers, as many products which are grown or available naturally in these regions are sources of income for the local population which are organized into rural cooperatives whose the activity is centred on planting, harvesting or picking and drying these products.

Consumption and request for local organic Moroccan products are constantly evolving internationally and locally, more particularly in the cosmetics industry, which presents an opportunity and potential for commercial development for this sector

AGRI FOOD INDUSTRY

The main industrial units are installed in almost all regions: Marrakech, Fez, Meknes, Kenitra, Casablanca, Agadir, Larache, Tangier, Oujda, Laayoune, developed by SMEs or large structured private groups or within the framework of cooperatives with strong managerial capacities.

Due to the predominance of agriculture in Morocco, the Agri-food industry represents a value-added support and a strategic lever that allows to value and regulate agricultural production. The fruit and vegetable industry is an important component of the Moroccan industrial fabric dominated by the transforming and conservation of vegetables and fruit, followed by juices and tomato preparations.

The activity of preserving vegetables is the most important in terms of added value and exports. It includes, in particular, the canning of olives, pickles, capers, and small peppers. The fruit preservation activity comes in second position, in terms of added value and export, it mainly concerns canned apricots.

FOOD HEALTH SECURITY

The Main Missions of ONSSA :
Ensure the safety of food products from raw materials to the end consumer, including fishery products and animal feed.
Approve and control agricultural inputs (seeds, pesticides, fertilizers) and veterinary drugs.
Apply the laws and regulations relating to veterinary and phytosanitary health policy.
Evaluate health risks.

In order to ensure the sanitary control and protection of plant and animal heritage at the national level and at the borders, the Moroccan government has set up a strategic office for Food Sanitary Security (ONSSA) which manages authorizations on behalf of the State. relating to the preservation of animal and plant health and food products, including fishery products and animal feed.
It is therefore responsible for monitoring compliance with food standards, establishing effective food regulatory control systems (including to prepare for and react to emergency situations), to apply good practices. agriculture (land cultivation, aquatic cultivation, animal husbandry, horticulture), strengthen the use of food safety management systems

ONSSA : National food security office

GOUVERNANCE

Today and in order to consolidate the results of this plan, a new 2020-2030 strategy called “green generation” has been implemented based on two fundamental pillars, the human element and the sustainability of agricultural development.

Indeed, this program aims to increase the income of rural families with access to social protection, to assist young agricultural entrepreneurs with projects as well as to develop the skills of farmers through the deployment of agricultural advisers at the regional level.

In order to ensure sustainable development and deal with climate change, this plan recommends the introduction of new irrigation technology and soil conservation while improving the quality of production by adapting it to new consumption patterns.

Over the past decade, the Moroccan government has put in place a roadmap called the “Green Morocco Plan” which was based on several transversal projects involving all the administrations incharge of the sector and has been rolled out at the regional level.

The main objectives of this plan were to attract more investment to small and medium-sized family farms and large-scale farms in order to create jobs and allow local people to settle on their land.

The results of this program, which profoundly transformed Moroccan agricultural activity, were notable and effective in terms of agricultural GDP, the expansion of irrigated areas, with a strong increase in production and increase in exports.

This roadmap also recommends strengthening the distribution and commercial logistics of products as well as the reinforcement of sectors in order to double agricultural GDP, exports and enhance 70% of production.


Through this article we hope to have attracted your curiosity on the dynamics and the strong assets which characterize the Moroccan agricultural sectors whose qualitative and quantitative production is varied in order to meet the demand for quality Mediterranean products on the international market.


Food and beeyond

THE GATEWAY TO SUCCESSFUL OPPORTUNITIES


The Company


It is well established that marketing in the Moroccan agricultural sector relies more on direct marketing; Agricultural trade shows and exhibitions; B2B prospecting missions or event animations while the adoption rate of digital marketing remains below the level reached by other sectors such as tourism, for example.

However, with the pandemic, digital technology has been of great support for the continuity of professional activities in several fields and has triggered, in Morocco, an exponential trend of acceptance of digital marketing in this sector.

It is in this context that the company Food & Beeyond has put this website with the ambition to regroup the “Product of Morocco” offer from partners, farmers and industries Agri-food in order to develop and strengthen the presence of their products on international markets through first of all the design of his platform which is based on a native referencing in Internet search engines and then through a permanent digital strategy and promotion near of local and international professionals.

The “foodandbeeyond.com” platform is presented as a central virtual exhibition market for Moroccan agricultural products for a global audience, thus allowing our partners to reduce communication and promotion costs, and is also presented as a complementary support tool to the  Internal sales teams of companies and farmers.

Fruits And Vegetables From Morocco

The objective is to connect international buyers and Moroccan producers in optimal conditions of success through professional commercial follow-up from the start of the first contact until the conclusion of the business opportunity

On the other hand, the platform has allocated a space dedicated to local distribution which allows suppliers and cooperatives with a point of sale and the necessary logistics to offer their items to the local market with the option of home delivery or collection in store.

Beyond the aspect of display and promotion of the content  “Food & beeyond” monitors  markets in the agricultural sector in order to bring to its partners a contacts or new qualified and adequate prospects as close as possible of the needs of targeted prospects to a decision-makers partners, through a personalized approach of the prospecting provided by high-level sales support team

At “Food and Beeyond” we are convinced that the promotion of agricultural products and the stimulation of sales via the digital marketing channels go through intense and the constant efforts of a committed team based on the intrinsic skills of each.

Indeed, the “Food and Beeyond” team is made up mainly of laureates from international business schools and digital marketing and is supported by an IT expertise.