Morocco's grain imports rose 31 percent in the four months to September 30, driven mainly by higher purchase of maize and soft milling wheat, state cereal agency ONCIL said on Friday. "At the end of the fourth month of the commercial season 2010/2011, imports of cereals totalled 11 million quintals (1.1 million tonnes) versus 8.4 million quintals in the same period last season," it added.
Imports of maize and soft wheat accounted for 52 percent and 25 percent respectively of the total purchase while barley and durum wheat constituted 12 percent and 11 percent of the buying respectively, it said. The grain commercial season in Morocco began in June and ends in May 2011.
Morocco, the world's tenth-biggest wheat importer, saw its harvest this year slashed by bad weather to 7.46 million tonnes from a record 10.2 million tonnes last year. France provided 39 percent of the imports and Argentine 23 percent followed by the United States with 20 percent, Canada 16 percent and Sweden and Germany 1 percent each.
Morocco stepped up imports of cereals, mainly soft wheat, this year to offset its lower domestic crop. Last month, Onicl approved the import of 1.2 million tonnes of soft milling wheat over the period September 16-December 31. The government announced in August it would cancel customs duty on imports of soft wheat from September 16 to December 31.