MOROCCO – Spanish specialist in agricultural production, Daifressh, has expanded its activities in the Agadir region of Morocco after the acquisition of 140 hectares of land to sustain the production of fruits to meet the ever-growing demand for superfoods.
Founded in 1992 and headquartered in Valencia, the company established its operation in Morocco in 2020. Daifressh detailed that the two farms purchased should enter production in the coming years.
Out of the 140 hectares, it will dedicate 105ha to the production of blueberries and 35 ha to raspberries. The company has 5 water wells and 3 private ponds in the region, with more than 300 employees.
According to officials, this approach should allow the company, which until then only produced raspberries, to diversify and increase its production of red fruits.
In addition, the initiative is part of a strategy to increase its global fruit production capacity as well as increase shipments and improve its market share in Central European countries in particular. A large part of the production is intended for the European market, particularly Poland.
The company, which also operates in the citrus and vegetable segment, owns a 136-hectare horticultural farm in Poland dedicated to the production of berries.
After the new investment, Daifressh has reached a horticultural production area of 220 hectares in Morocco, with more than 90% dedicated to berries.
Despite 2022 proving to be a complicated year due to the challenging economic situation, the company achieved a 10 percent growth in turnover.
The growth has motivated the Berry and citrus specialist to continue strengthening its investments in new acreage, as well as improving its varietal offer and more efficient and sustainable cultivation systems.
“We’re focussing on using different origins for our production, and we encourage long-term agreements with our Dai-Growers group to continue to grow as producers and consolidate ourselves as the trusted suppliers of our customers during the 52 weeks of the year,” said Ana Claramunt, Daifressh’s managing director.
“At the same time, we continue strengthening our commitment to environmental, social, and economic sustainability. As a result, retailers are increasingly placing their trust in our project. And this has allowed us to enter new markets. We are convinced that 2023 is going to be a year that will boost our growth, as we have very positive forecasts.”
According to the most recent estimates (2019) by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 66 percent of its land area is devoted to agriculture, with more than 7 percent devoted to fruit production.
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