MOROCCO (26 May)
Normal to abundant rains at planting and during the crop development stage benefited the 2003 winter crops. Rains were regular and well distributed throughout the season, with the exception of some areas in the south, the southeast and parts of the Sahara, but cereal production in these areas is only a small part of aggregate domestic output. An increase in total cereal plantings for the country of about 13 percent compared to 2002 and 6 percent relative to the past 5-year average is reported. Harvesting of the 2003 wheat crop has started while that of barley is about to start. Early production forecasts point to a record 5.4 million tonnes of wheat and 2.6 million tonnes of barley largely due to the increased use of fertilizers and other inputs.
Wheat imports in marketing year 2003/04 (July/June) are forecast to decline from 2.7 million tonnes last year to about 2 million tonnes, while maize imports are anticipated to remain at the same level of 850 000 tonnes in marketing year 2002/03 (July/June).