MOROCCO (22 October)
Land preparation is underway for the planting of the 2004/05 winter grain crops. Intensive and large scale control operations made it possible to bring this year widespread Desert Locust infestation under control, and limit damage to agriculture. This, in addition to favourable weather conditions, larger area sown and adequate availability of agricultural inputs, resulted in increased cereal production for the second consecutive year. The aggregate 2004 cereal production, mostly wheat and barley, is estimated at a record 8.47 million tonnes, about 7 percent more than the bumper crop harvested in the previous year. Output of wheat, by far the most important crop, increased by 393 000 tonnes to 5.54 million tonnes. Production of barley, the main coarse grain grown in the country, was somewhat higher than last year’s record level of 2.62 million tonnes.
Reflecting two consecutive years of bumper harvests, import of cereals in the marketing year 2004/05 (July/June) are forecast to decline to about 2.97 million tonnes.