Moroccan tomato production slumps, French producers seize the opportunity

Third largest exporter in the world behind Mexico and the Netherlands, Morocco is going through a complicated season. Destructive winds in February and excessive winter humidity have favored the appearance of pests and fungal diseases in greenhouses. Faced with unprecedented prices on the domestic market, the government even had to suspend its shipments to Africa in mid-April, as Sud Ouest points out. Zakaria Hanich, president of the Moroccan interprofessional federation, sums up the situation of European shipments this way: "This year, quality is not up to par, that’s all."

On Bladi.net : French producers at war with Moroccan tomatoes

This slowdown is curbing the meteoric rise of this agricultural giant. During the 2024-2025 campaign, the kingdom set a historic record by exporting 745,000 tons of tomatoes, generating nearly 1.2 billion dollars in revenue. These climate difficulties are having a direct impact on the European Union, of which Morocco remains the leading external supplier. The stakes are high for France, which normally absorbs more than half of these volumes on its own.

On Bladi.net : Tomatoes at €5 per kilo: Why Morocco’s crisis is exploding your grocery bill in France!

Despite this situation, French market gardeners are keeping their cool. Lauriane Le Leslé, director of the AOP Tomatoes and Cucumbers of France, warns that this is a "cyclical and temporary" situation and that her members were unable to anticipate demand. To establish itself durably, the profession is banking on its "sovereign package." Sold at 1.29 euros for 250 grams with the tricolor flag, this format is trying to assert itself against budget foreign offerings priced around 99 cents.