HIBAPRESS – Abdelatif Barca
The repercussions of the intense heatwave witnessed in vast areas of the Souss Massa region continue, amid anticipation in agricultural circles and markets regarding the effects of high temperatures on vegetable production, especially in the agricultural areas of the provinces of Chtouka Ait Baha and Taroudant, which constitute one of the most important production and supply basins in the region.
The high heat imposes additional pressure on agricultural farms, given the crops' need for larger quantities of irrigation water and continuous care to maintain product quality and yield.
Furthermore, the continued hot weather may affect some heat-sensitive crops, in terms of both production and crop quality, which could gradually reflect on the volume of supply to the markets.
This comes at a time when vegetable prices remain directly linked to the balance of supply and demand, and production and transportation costs. Any decline in the available quantities from production areas, even if relatively small, could open the door for price increases, especially for vegetables for which national markets heavily rely on Souss Massa's production.
Attention is directed in the coming days to the developments in agricultural areas in Chtouka and Taroudant, to ascertain the producers' ability to maintain the pace of production under these current climatic conditions, and whether the heatwave will remain a transient condition or leave more evident impacts on the abundance of vegetables and their prices in Moroccan markets.
