Controversy Grows Over Moroccan Tomato Exports from Disputed Sahara Region

Morocco continues to produce tomatoes and melons in the Sahara, which it then exports to the European market along with those produced on Moroccan territory. The practice has been denounced for years by Spanish farmers who complain about the flooding of these products on the European market, significantly reducing their market share.

To read: EU Lawmaker Alleges Moroccan Tomato Export Fraud, Demands Investigation

Similarly, the Polisario Front has also taken European courts to complain about Morocco, which exploits the natural resources of the Sahara (agricultural, fishery, phosphate, energy) for its own benefit, reports Vozpopuli. The Sahrawi separatist movement is demanding the cancellation of the agricultural and fisheries agreements between Morocco and the European Union, which include these tomatoes produced in the Sahara, particularly in Dakhla.

According to official Moroccan data from 2018, 785 hectares of tomatoes and melons are cultivated in the Sahara. In its 2020-2030 strategic plan, Morocco plans to expand its fruit and vegetable production in the Sahara to 5,000 hectares. These crops, once harvested, are transported to Agadir where they are labeled as produced in Morocco, denounces the NGO Mundubat in a report.

To read: Spanish Tomato Industry Struggles as Moroccan Imports Surge in EU Market

This strategy outrages the Spanish farmers of Almeria, Murcia, Granada and Malaga, who denounce "unfair competition" that has boosted Moroccan fruit and vegetable imports into the European Union in recent years, from 856.9 million kilos imported in 2010 to 1.4 billion in 2021, an increase of 63%, according to Eurostat data processed by the Spanish Federation of Fruit, Vegetable, Flower and Plant Exporter Associations (FEPEX).