Top-ten countries producing strawberries
We live in a world where the word ‘seasonal’ is no longer applicable when you want to enjoy your favorite fresh produce. The reason is that most countries import the products that they cannot grow themselves, due to weather or various other reasons, but also because there is an excess in the producing countries.
The top-ten countries producing strawberries are listed below, and some of these are not where one would typically expect a fresh, juicy-red strawberry to originate from.
- China
- United States
- Mexico
- Turkey
- Egypt
- Spain
- Russia
- South Korea
- Poland
- Morocco
Let’s take a closer look at number 10 on the list – Morocco. If you conjure up images of Morocco in your mind’s eye, you think of the vast Sahara desert, camels, and windstorms. No wonder we are surprised to find Morocco in the top-ten countries producing strawberries in the world.
In Morocco, the strawberry season starts slowly in November and by mid-February, it is ready for the export markets. Most of the fruit is produced in the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region, where 2,400 ha of strawberries are grown. Of these, 75% are exported, of which 25% are fresh strawberries and 50% are frozen strawberries. The offset is mainly the European market, and it gets exported by truckloads.
The world remains full of surprises, and the origin of strawberries is one of them. Let’s enjoy and celebrate this lovely fruit, coming from unexpected corners of the world.