Spanish Farmers Protest Surge in Moroccan Tomato Imports, Citing Competitiveness Concerns

In a press release, the association condemns these increasing imports of Moroccan tomatoes, stressing that they lead to a "loss of competitiveness" of community production. Imports of Moroccan tomatoes reached 557,225 tons (701,541 tons if the United Kingdom is included) in 2022, compared to 365,695 tons in 2013, the FEPEX specifies.

The tomato contact group of France, Italy, Portugal and Spain, which met on May 4 and 5, looked into this issue and concluded that the community policy in the field of plant protection products and packaging "is detrimental to community production". The group also analyzed the forecasts for the summer campaign, which indicate a downward trend of 5% for these countries, in particular due to the decline in yields.