Morocco's sole sugar refiner Cosumar has not been able to meet interim targets of a plan to raise local beet and cane contribution to overall domestic sugar demand to 55 percent by 2013 from 36 percent.

In replies to emailed questions, Cosumar blamed bad weather conditions over the previous two campaigns for the delay.

Exceptional events ... (have led to) the loss of farms and have provented us from achieving the goals set for sugar production from local cultivations and of which the cover ratio has been at around 36 percent, Cosumar said.

Morocco's sugar demand stands at around 1.2 million tonnes, the bigger part of which is catered for by raw sugar imports from Brazil that are refined at Cosumar's facilities.

In 2010, cosumar's white sugar production from local harvest reached 409,000 tonnes, including 336,000 tonnes from beet and 73,000 tonnes from cane, it added. In previous statements, Cosumar has said domestic sugar production in 2009 reached 410,000 tonnes.

Morocco Medicine