produce - Eurofresh Distribution

28
SPecial rePort
M O R O C C O
Morocco citrus, an established label
EUROFRESH
DISTRIBUTION
The season started with excellent quality production, due to favourable climate conditions. Rains and cool
nights of late summer and October have helped a natural colouration of the fruit and higher eating qualities.
Mohamed Tohani
Domaine El Boura, nothing but
quality
«Quality, always quality, nothing
but quality.» Domaine El Boura is
convinced that medium to long term
success cannot be achieved without
concern for quality. The watchword
the firm launched last year has been
taken up again for the 2008/09 season,
reminding all the personnel of
the need to accord the word ‘quality’
the importance it deserves. The
firm’s quality comes from its own
orchards, which are run by integrated
farm management methods based on
respecting the environment in ecologically
healthy surroundings.
In the packhouse, this quality product
grown in Domaine El Boura’s own
orchards is treated with maximum
care in order to create the conditions
for its quality to be preserved. The
commercial department is aware of
the quality of service it must provide
to give the greatest satisfaction to all
the firm’s clients. Being in control of
the entire process from growing to
marketing ensures infallible traceability
and inspires the total trust of
Domaine El Boura’s clients in every
market. This is possible thanks to
the total integration of all Domaine El
Boura’s units and services.
Sea freight, the best option
Sea freight has also become a better
alternative for vegetables. Already,
one third of the 600,000 tons of Moroccan
vegetables are exported by
container. The 550,000 tons of citrus
fruit exported from Morocco are
almost all transported by sea, about
one third of them by container. The
weekly sea freight capacity supplied
by the 3 shipping companies Maersk,
MTC and CMA is 9000 tons of merchandise
(150 containers x 20 pallets
x3). They mainly operate for the
Morocco export consortiums FFM and
MFB, with a minimum of 1 boat each
week. Russia is served by a minimum
of 2 boats, representing about 2500
pallets’ weekly capacity each. In addition,
some Russian importers also
send their own combined-load ships.
Canada is supplied every 10 days, i.e.
3 shipments per month, with a total
capacity of 45,000 pallets.
CMA-CGM is the main shipping company
operating in Morocco, with 4
boats serving Portsmouth, Rotterdam,
Antwerp and Le Havre directly.
Transhipment is also carried out for
Saint Petersburg and Brazil
With the opening of the new container
Tanger Med1 terminal in July
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OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
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2007, Morocco established itself as
an international maritime platform
for container transit. It has a total capacity
of 3 million 20 foot equivalent
containers and is operated by Maersk
and CMA-CGM. A new Tanger Med2
terminal is already under construction
and will be operative for 2012. It
will have a total capacity of 5 million
containers in order to increase its
freight transit business with America
and Asia.
The new Tangiers terminal gives new
opportunities through direct international
routes for Moroccan produce.
For example, Morocco citrus shipped
by sea currently takes 14 days to reach
Canada and needs to transit through
Le Havre. With the Tanger terminal,
citrus can be transported by truck to
Tangiers within 24 hours and then directly
to Canada within 7 days.