Spanish Farmers Demand EU Ban on Moroccan Produce Amid Price Concerns

"The impact of the arrival of Moroccan fruits and vegetables has been felt since early November when producers noticed the drop in the selling price of their goods, even though they had placed huge hopes on this campaign," said Andrés Gongora, secretary general of the coordination of farmers’ and ranchers’ organizations (COAG), in a statement.

This is not the first time the association has tried to ban Moroccan exports. In order to protest against the entry of imports from Morocco, around a hundred COAG member farmers blocked one of the main entry and exit routes for goods at the port of Motril last December. In May 2020, Spanish farmers had blocked and vandalized several Moroccan trucks exporting agricultural products to European markets.

The spectacular growth of imports from countries such as [Morocco] in the EU is linked to the continued signing of trade liberalization agreements for agricultural products, the association says. Official data shows that the kingdom’s fruit and vegetable imports to the EU have increased from 895,727 tonnes in 2009 to 1.3 million tonnes in 2018, an increase of 52%. As for Moroccan tomato imports to the EU, they have increased by 27%. From 2010 to 2018, record figures were reached. In total, 450,000 tonnes were exported to Europe.