Morocco to import 7.5 million tonnes of wheat in 2025/26: USDA
The forecast underscores the country’s continued reliance on external markets for more than half its wheat needs.
MOROCCO – Morocco is expected to import 7.5 million tonnes of wheat in the 2025/26 marketing year, according to the latest global supply and demand outlook from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA).
This forecast, highlighted in an August report and cited by UkrAgroConsult, signals the country’s deepening reliance on external markets to meet over half of its wheat demand, driven by persistent droughts and escalating global grain prices.
The USDA projects global wheat reserves at 256.2 million tons for the 2025/26 season, the lowest since 2016/17, due to poor harvests in key producing regions like Europe, Russia, and Ukraine.
Global wheat production is estimated at 789.8 million tons, down 2.1 million tons from July, while consumption remains steady at 801.6 million tons, creating a supply-demand gap that is pushing prices higher. For Morocco, where wheat accounts for over half of cereal consumption and bread is a dietary staple, this global shortfall is particularly concerning.
Morocco’s domestic wheat production has been hampered by severe drought, a recurring challenge that has slashed yields in recent years.
The USDA FAS reported that the 2024/25 marketing year saw total wheat and barley production drop to 3.12 million metric tons, a 43% decline from the previous year. For 2025/26, production is expected to recover slightly but remain below the 10-year average, with forecasts of 1.7 million metric tons for common wheat, 1.1 million metric tons for durum wheat, and 0.7 million metric tons for barley.
According to a report by Interfax, Morocco imported more than 1.1 million metric tons of wheat from Russia by the end of June 2025, marking a 2.3-fold increase compared to the previous agricultural season.
This sharp rise in wheat imports signals a notable expansion in Morocco’s grain import capacity and reflects broader shifts in global grain flows, especially as countries reassess their supply strategies amid mounting geopolitical and climate pressures.
The surge in volume pushed Morocco ahead of Nigeria, which imported around 1.05 million tons during the same period, and brings it close to Iran’s reduced intake of 1.07 million tons.
This development places Morocco among the top importers of Russian wheat, alongside Turkey and Bangladesh, and just behind Egypt, which retained its position as Russia’s largest wheat customer with imports exceeding 8 million tons.
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