Morocco records five year high in lemon exports at US$5M in 2025
Shipments rise by 80 percent as new markets drive growth and wider fruit exports gain pace.
MOROCCO – Morocco recorded its highest lemon export volume in five years during the 2024 to 2025 season, earning more than US$5 million from 9,700 tons of shipments, according to data released by EastFruit on February 11, 2026.
The latest figures show an 80 percent rise compared to the 2023 to 2024 season, when exports fell to 5,300 tons. The strong result marks the best campaign since the 2010 to 2011 season, when exports reached 18,000 tons.
“Morocco has returned to strong growth in the lemon trade after four years of decline,” EastFruit noted in its market update.
Mauritania remained Morocco’s main buyer and took 45 percent of total shipments. The country has increased its imports for four straight years. The United Kingdom moved into second place and imported more than 1,000 tons for the first time in 17 years. Russia followed with 9.2 percent of exports.
The Netherlands and Canada resumed purchases, while France reduced its imports by 20 percent.
EastFruit also reported changes in seasonal trade flows. In past years, exporters shipped most lemons in February and then reduced volumes sharply by April.
During the 2024 to 2025 season, exporters sent the highest volumes in April and kept strong shipments through May. Analysts linked this shift to better planning and closer coordination with buyers.
Wider export momentum
The lemon recovery comes as Morocco strengthens its position in other fruit markets. In 2025, Morocco overtook Kenya to become Africa’s largest avocado exporter, based on preliminary figures from the Food and Agriculture Organization Tropical Fruits Market Review.
Morocco increased avocado exports by about 90 percent to 141,000 tons. Kenya’s shipments fell by 19 percent to about 105,164 tons after security concerns near the Suez Canal forced carriers to avoid the Red Sea route and sail around the Cape of Good Hope. The longer route raised freight costs and affected fruit quality.
A Kenyan exporter said, “When vessels take longer to reach Europe, the fruit arrives with less shelf life. Buyers become cautious, and that affects orders.”
Morocco’s citrus sector now expects a slight rise in output for the 2025 to 2026 marketing year, with tangerine and mandarin production projected at 1.15 million metric tons, up 4 percent from the previous season.
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