Morocco Emerges as Top Fruit and Vegetable Supplier to European Markets

Taking advantage of its geographical proximity to Europe, agreements with the EU and its cheap labor, Morocco has become a real global agricultural power in a few years. The authorities of the kingdom aim to double the current agricultural production before the end of the decade, while reducing water consumption, drought and heat waves obliging.

Although the objective of the Moroccan authorities is to guarantee food self-sufficiency in the coming years, the desire to export is clearly displayed. Moroccan products, particularly tomatoes, olives, argan oil or citrus fruits, are present everywhere in the world, from the United States to Russia, passing through Spain and the other countries of the European Union.

According to the latest report on Morocco by the Spanish Institute of Foreign Trade (ICEX), vegetables account for 56% of total Moroccan exports, with tomatoes in the lead, followed by green beans and peppers. Fruits account for the remaining 44%, with citrus fruits, watermelons and berries in the lead.

In 2022, Morocco achieved a record 80 billion dirhams (around 73 billion euros) in exports, the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture said in January, recalling that the kingdom is the fourth largest exporter of tomatoes in the world and the first supplier to the United Kingdom, the world’s leading exporter of argan oil, the third exporter of table olives and citrus fruits.

European markets are the main destination for Moroccan agricultural exports. The kingdom exported 67% of its tomatoes to the EU in 2021, threatening Spanish production. Spanish olive and strawberry producers denounce a "fierce and unfair competition from Morocco", with the support of the EU.