French Tomato Farmers Decry Unfair Competition from Morocco

1 March 2025 – bySaid@Bladi · 1 min read

The Salon de l’Agriculture, the annual grand event of the agricultural world, is in full swing. But behind the facade smiles, a growing concern is emerging among French tomato producers. Gilles Bertrandias, director of Rougeline, a major cooperative group based in Marmande, spoke on the stand of the Nouveaux Champs collective. He points the finger at the perceived unfair competition from the Moroccan tomato.

The shadow of the Moroccan tomato, and more specifically the cherry tomato, looms over the French stalls. The reason? Production costs. Where the hourly labor cost is 14 euros in France, it is capped at 1 euro in Morocco. A gap that gives Moroccan producers a significant advantage, reports Sud-ouest.

This advantage is based on a free trade agreement between Morocco and the European Union, signed in 2012. An agreement that, according to Gilles Bertrandias, has lost its initial meaning. Designed to ensure complementarity between French and Moroccan production, it is now

Category: Economy

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France Exports Agriculture