Morocco to suspend soft wheat imports as harvest rebounds

Morocco will suspend soft wheat imports from June 1 to July 31, as forecasts point to a sharp recovery in domestic grain production following heavy rainfall that brought an end to seven years of drought.

The expected harvest, including soft wheat, is projected to nearly double this season to around nine million tonnes. The improvement comes after years of drought that had significantly increased Morocco’s reliance on imports, making the kingdom one of the European Union’s leading wheat buyers.

According to Reuters, Abdelkader Alaoui, head of Morocco’s National Federation of Flour Milling, confirmed the temporary suspension on Wednesday.

In this context, the French state agriculture agency FranceAgriMer reported that French soft wheat exports to Morocco reached 2.7 million tonnes between July and March, nearly double the five-year average of 1.5 million tonnes for the same period.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Agriculture expects Morocco’s wheat imports, including durum wheat, to decline to around four million tonnes during the 2026/2027 season, down 40% from projected levels for the current season.