فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
El Menzel (Sefrou Province) – The olive harvest season in the El Menzel area and surrounding regions of Sefrou Province has begun at an active pace, amid cautious optimism from small farmers who depend on this season as an important additional source of income and as an opportunity to create seasonal employment, especially for rural women.
Sefrou Province is one of Morocco’s leading olive production hubs, with a cultivated area of approximately 30,000 hectares, representing 30% of the province’s arable land. Recent years have witnessed a notable increase of 7,500 new hectares, thanks to the entry of large investors (including SOGEITA and SOCODIA companies) and the establishment of major agricultural estates.
Olive Varieties and Processing Infrastructure
The local “Moroccan Picholine” variety dominates 75% of plantations, followed by “Picholine de Languedoc” (10%), “Arbequina” (8%), and “Picual” (7%).
The province has 78 oil mills, including 42 modern units with a total capacity of 1,200 tons/day, and 36 traditional mills.
This Season’s Prices Have Dropped Significantly
- Virgin olive oil: between 55 and 60 dirhams per liter.
- Table olives: between 6 and 8 dirhams per kilogram.
These prices are much lower than last season when the price per liter reached 100 dirhams, which is attributed to this year’s abundant production after consecutive drought years.
Ongoing Struggles for Small and Medium Farmers
Despite good production, small farmers face major structural challenges:
- Small and fragmented land ownership due to inheritance.
- Aging olive trees (most are over 50-60 years old).
- Lack of technical guidance and financial support.
- Most small farmers do not benefit from irrigation water from nearby dams.
- Strong competition from large investors, “the big landowners,” who purchase lands and convert them into intensive estates that deplete the water table.
Farmers and activists warn that the continuation of this situation will lead to the sale of more small plots, transforming farmers into laborers on land they once owned—a phenomenon that has already begun in several douars within the territories of El Menzel, Ain Chkef, Sidi Youssef, and Bir Tam Tam communes.
Calls for Urgent Intervention
Farmers and those concerned with local agricultural affairs are calling for:
- A genuine rehabilitation program for old olive trees.
- Direct financial support and integration of small farmers into irrigation programs from the Idriss I and Alwahda dams.
- Organization of the value chain to ensure fair marketing of local products.
- Development of a regional strategy to protect the water table from uncontrolled depletion.
The olive season in Sefrou Province remains a source of livelihood for thousands of families, but its sustainability depends on saving small farmers before it’s too late.
Source: Field reports and testimonies from farmers in the El Menzel area and surroundings, published and circulated on local Facebook pages during December 2025.
