The Moroccan tomato sparks the anger of French farmers

The tension rose a notch last Wednesday in Perpignan. The Confédération paysanne carried out a surprise operation targeting a Franco-Moroccan logistics platform and a supermarket to denounce the low prices of imported tomatoes, particularly the cherry varieties, which they describe as unfair competition, reports L’Economiste.

These incidents occur while the Franco-Moroccan joint committee, relaunched this year to appease relations, has so far not resulted in any concrete agreement. French producers criticize the current mechanism for the European Union’s entry prices, which they consider unsuitable for high value-added varieties, while an official French report recommends a review of flows in 2026.

Towards a strategy of enhancement and new markets

The framework governing these exchanges, based on the 2012 free trade agreement, allows the export of 285,000 tons of Moroccan tomatoes duty-free during the winter. Any renegotiation of this treaty proving complex, the agricultural expert Saâd Raissi, interviewed by the newspaper, recommends a strategic change of course for the Kingdom. Noting that the voice of French farmers carries more weight with their authorities, he considers it necessary to revise the objectives to "export less and better".

The idea is to focus on very high quality products to bypass the safeguard mechanisms while offering competitive advantages. To reduce dependence on the European market, Saâd Raissi also recommends developing the domestic market, investing in the food industry for processed products and targeting the countries of the South. Finally, he insists on the importance for Moroccan exporters to own their own logistics platforms in order to protect themselves against the unconventional actions of their competitors.