UK-Morocco Trade Deal Boosts Export Opportunities for Moroccan Farmers

As of January 1, this agreement could offer more guarantees to Moroccan and British companies that maintain economic and commercial relations in all sectors of cooperation, reports Le360.

According to the former minister, Morocco managed to anticipate a year before the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union thanks to this agreement signed with Great Britain. "There will certainly be discussions, subsequently, between the two countries to improve the terms of the agreement," affirmed the president of the Alliance of Istiqlal Economists. These are discussions on the quotas reserved for certain products, particularly agricultural ones.

For the former minister, the quotas for Moroccan agricultural products are "likely to be revised accordingly". According to him, the British quotas should be added to the European ones. "A real windfall for Moroccan farmers," he estimates. Before Brexit, trade between Morocco and the United Kingdom amounted to 18.3 billion dirhams, or nearly 4% of total trade with the European Union in 2018. The same source specifies that the kingdom exports nearly 8 billion dirhams to the United Kingdom, making it the 7th customer and the 11th supplier under the free trade agreement with the European Union.

While for the moment, Moroccan exports to the United Kingdom are mainly composed of citrus fruits and fishery products, agribusiness, textiles, renewable energies or even Morocco’s global trades (automotive, aeronautics) could also be taken into account. In return, Morocco could benefit from British expertise in the financial and technological sectors, particularly fintechs.