An absolute record temperature was registered in Morocco on Friday, August 11, at 1:33 PM, with 50.4 degrees Celsius recorded in the Souss Massa region. The heatwave lasted 3 days and was accompanied by "Chergui," hot, dry winds coming from the Grand Sahara, and sandstorms. Growers are counting the damage and anticipate a major impact on the season.
A tomato grower based in the Souss Massa region told FreshPlaza on condition of anonymity: "We're still in the process of assessing the damage, and it's still too early to quantify it. However, I can say that the damage is quite extensive. The sunburns are not widespread, but still involve large areas that will require replanting."
The grower continues, "Temperatures reached 55 degrees in the greenhouses, and the wave stayed on too long, up to 48 hours when even at night temperatures reached 45 degrees. The heat was also accompanied by sand whirlwinds."
The heatwave came at a bad time, according to the grower. He explains, "It came at a time when we are adopting new seeds to deal with phytosanitary problems, which means that there will be a shortage of seeds to replace plants lost to sunburn. A large proportion of tomatoes, peppers, and other early crops are grown in preparation for the start of the campaign in October. This means that the tomato and early vegetables season will be delayed this year, although it is still too early to give figures on the actual delay or volumes lost."
According to a press release from the Ministry of Equipment and Water, which quotes the National Meteorological Directorate, this is the first time in history that the temperature in Morocco has exceeded 50 degrees Celsius. The temperature record was recorded in the Souss Massa region, one of Morocco's agricultural strongholds, where a large part of the country's tomato, early vegetable, red fruit, stone fruit, and seasonal fruit production is located.