Morocco’s “Morocco Foodex” announced last Thursday the arrival of the first container of Moroccan citrus fruits in Japan, marking a historic milestone for the kingdom in one of the world’s strictest markets in terms of quality and traceability standards.
The statement issued by the institution tasked with promoting Moroccan agricultural and marine exports highlighted that this success illustrates the competitiveness of Moroccan agricultural products and the global reputation enjoyed by Moroccan expertise in this field.
In this context, the institution noted that Japan, which ranks as Morocco’s thirteenth-largest customer for food products, enforces stringent health standards, making the acceptance of Moroccan citrus, particularly the high-quality “Nadorcot” variety, a testament to the kingdom’s commitment to top-tier global health standards. The statement further indicated that this step opens avenues for diversifying export varieties to cater to Japanese market preferences.
Japanese importer Yuichi Fukuda expressed a growing desire to increase imports of Moroccan citrus to Japan, noting that Japanese consumers favor this product due to its high quality. Kento Takigami, head of procurement at a Japanese import company, confirmed that “Morocco has a very positive image among the Japanese,” expressing hope for the success of Moroccan citrus in the Japanese market.
Japan is known for its high consumption of fresh fruits, making it an important market for Moroccan citrus, which boasts excellent taste and high nutritional value. To support this trend, an economic mission from Morocco Foodex accompanied a delegation of Moroccan exporters to Japan last April, where meetings were held with Japanese importers and Moroccan citrus was promoted in Tokyo through a targeted communication campaign.
Mehdi Alami, Director of Development and Promotion at Morocco Foodex, affirmed that the economic mission was successful, with around thirty buyers participating in the meetings, indicating the interest of the Japanese market in Moroccan products.
In 2023, Morocco’s food product exports to Japan reached 18,000 tons, valued at 14 billion yen. Thanks to its strategic location and continuous production, Morocco aims to strengthen its presence in high value-added markets. Moroccan exporters aspire to achieve significant growth in export volumes in the future, relying on this strategic openness towards the Japanese market.
