Moroccan Tomato Exports Surge, Challenging Spanish Producers in European Markets

Moroccan tomato imports have almost doubled in ten years, rising from 365,695 tons in 2013 to 557,225 tons in 2022 and 701,541 tons if the United Kingdom is included. "It is on the British market that the loss of competitiveness of Community production is most clearly observed. Over the same period, Spanish tomato exports to the United Kingdom have fallen from 143,182 tons to 70,780 tons, according to data from the United Nations Statistics Division," denounces the Spanish Federation of Fruit, Vegetable, Flower and Live Plant Producer-Exporter Associations (Fepex).

According to data from the Estacom statistical service published by Hortoinfo, Spanish tomato exports have fallen by 25% in four years, while Moroccan tomato imports have increased by 51.9% over the same period. In 2022, Spain exported 206.3 million euros worth of tomatoes, half of which came from Morocco, and the rest from Portugal and the Netherlands, the same sources report, stating that this trend is unlikely to reverse in the coming years. Spanish producers have repeatedly denounced these "massive imports" of Moroccan tomatoes and "the Community policy in the field of plant health and packaging" that threaten Spanish and Community production.

In early May, the tomato contact group from France, Italy, Portugal and Spain, meeting in Piré-Chancé (France), looked into the issue and concluded that this Community policy on plant health and packaging "is detrimental to Community production".