Morocco Tightens Customs on Turkish Textiles Amid Trade Agreement Changes

The delays complained about by Turkish exporters have already been going on for a few weeks. These are operators who export clothing to North African countries, including Morocco, which has actually amended the Morocco-Turkey free trade agreement last week, recording an increase of up to 90% of customs duties on these products, according to the Reuters news agency.

The British agency says it has recorded the anonymous testimonies of three major Turkish industrial groups, who claim to have received unusual requests for paperwork, causing unusual delays both in Morocco and Algeria.
Giyasettin Eyyupkoca is the head of a Turkish professional association. He is irritated by the situation. "The clearance of our goods takes 10 to 12 days, instead of the usual two days".

He explains that it is the Turkish products that are targeted. They say they are the victims of a kind of attempt by the North African countries to oust Turkey from the process of reshaping global supply chains. Since the coronavirus pandemic, several European brands are looking for credible alternatives closer to Europe than China. Morocco and Turkey seem to be very serious candidates, the same source specifies.