Trump’s Proposed Tariffs Threaten Spanish Olive Oil Industry, May Boost Moroccan Exports

"To the great farmers of the United States: Get ready to produce more products to sell on the domestic market. Tariffs will be applied to foreign products starting April 2," the US president said in a post on the "Truth Social" platform. An announcement that has raised fears among Spanish olive oil producers and exporters who believe that this new tariff policy from Trump could benefit other countries like Morocco.

"Trump has asked for a report on the US trade balance with the different countries of the world, in order to study this report after April 2 and make decisions accordingly. If tariffs are imposed on all imports without distinction between countries or regions, there will be no disruption on the world market, since everyone will be subject to the same tariff, and this would be the best scenario," said Rafael Pico, president of the Spanish Association of Olive Oil Exporters (ASOLIVA), to The Objective.

But if the Trump administration imposes tariffs on the European Union as a community organization rather than on the member countries separately, it would create a "problem" likely to benefit other countries like Morocco, notes Rafael Pico, recalling that the kingdom "ranks ninth in the world in olive oil production and could benefit from Trump’s return as well as the appointment of Marco Rubio, a close ally of Morocco, as Secretary of State."

This imposition of tariffs by Washington will allow Morocco "in the medium term to position itself on the American market, whether for olive oil or other agricultural products," confirms an agricultural expert and consultant to Hespress, stressing that despite the current decline in olive oil production due to unfavorable climatic conditions, the kingdom will be able to "come back strong within two to three years and resume its exports while achieving self-sufficiency."

And to add: "The kingdom could become a destination for European, especially Spanish, producers who could then buy olive groves, and then export their production to the United States via Morocco, which benefits from a free trade agreement with Washington."