French and Moroccan Tomato Producers Sign Cooperation Agreement at Agricultural Expo

The two French and Moroccan associations signed this declaration during the International Agricultural Exhibition of Morocco held in Meknes. It is the result of discussions that began a year ago, Légumes de France said in a statement. "This declaration marks a common desire to coordinate on technical, agronomic and sanitary levels, so that French and Moroccan producers can find their place without stepping on each other’s toes," said Sylvestre Bertucelli, General Director of Légumes de France, quoted in the statement.

According to the note, this declaration "aims to establish a structured and lasting dialogue between the fruit and vegetable sectors of the two countries" and "to strengthen their cooperation" in the face of the major challenge of "respecting seasonality and reciprocal production schedules." Later, the association backtracked on this point, stating that it had been too hasty. In its statement, Légumes de France also called for "creating a favorable political framework for constructive discussions between French and Moroccan economic actors in the tomato sector."

During the Agricultural Show organized in Paris last February, both parties mentioned an agreement on the seasonality of exports. French producers called for a rebalancing of exports in summer to no longer suffer from the competition of Moroccan tomatoes. In early April, the Western market gardening cooperative (Savéol brand), the French leader in tomatoes, also called for "fair rules" in the face of "distortion of competition" and to review the "appreciation" of the EU-Morocco free trade agreement.