Spanish Farmers Target Moroccan Produce Trucks in Escalating Trade Tensions

On the A4 motorway heading towards Almeria, in the south of the Iberian peninsula, trucks loaded with fruits and vegetables from Morocco to the Spanish market and the European Union were the target of criminal attacks on Tuesday. These acts follow those carried out in front of Moroccan product storage depots in southern Spain, reports Al Ahdath Al Maghribia.

The perpetrators of these acts even chanted slogans hostile to the Kingdom and its exporters. This justifies the reactions calling for more protection from the Spanish authorities. The newspaper, relying on Spanish media, assures that these criminal acts would be the work of local producers who aim for a monopoly. The fact that they are unable to cope with this competition within the European Union is bothering them. Morocco is the main supplier of Andalusia with 32,400 tons of fruits and vegetables in 2013 and 62,100 tons in 2018.

Also, the newspaper specifies that the Spanish Federation of Exporting Associations of Fruits, Vegetables, Flowers and Living Plants (FEPEX) has announced that Morocco has consolidated its position as the main foreign supplier of the Spanish market in fruits and vegetables. Which, moreover, is not to the liking of Spanish producers. And yet, these transactions are framed by the free trade agreement between Morocco and the European Union.