Moroccan peppers surge 60% in the UK and are now close behind Germany
British imports of Moroccan peppers rose by 60% in one season. With 10,400 tonnes delivered, Morocco is now less than 1,000 tonnes behind Germany and could take third place as soon as next season.
Between October 2025 and June 2026, the United Kingdom imported 10,400 tonnes of Moroccan peppers worth more than 17 million pounds sterling, according to EastFruit], citing British customs data. Volumes rose by 60% compared with the previous season and almost tripled in two years.
Over three seasons, Moroccan deliveries increased 5.8-fold, representing average annual growth of 80%. They peaked in February 2026, with 1,800 tonnes shipped in a single month. Morocco then accounted for more than 9% of British pepper imports.
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Spain and the Netherlands still dominate the market, together supplying more than 80% of the peppers imported by the United Kingdom. The contest is tightening behind them: Germany remains in third place, but its lead over Morocco has fallen below 1,000 tonnes.
Morocco could take third place
German volumes have stagnated for three seasons, while Moroccan arrivals continue to rise. At the current pace, EastFruit estimates that Morocco could overtake Germany as soon as the 2026-2027 season and become the third-largest supplier to the British market.
The timing favors this breakthrough. Moroccan peppers are available in the United Kingdom almost year-round, but the main volumes arrive from October to May. Shipments peak in winter, when British demand is highest.
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France is following the opposite trajectory. Its sales to the United Kingdom have halved in one year, after three consecutive seasons of decline. It now trails Germany and Morocco and could also be overtaken by Belgium, whose shipments peak in late summer and early autumn.
Peppers are thus joining the Moroccan products that are rapidly gaining ground in the United Kingdom. Morocco already supplies nearly two out of every three raspberries imported by the country, another market where its production calendar enables it to replace European suppliers when their volumes decline.
