MOROCCO – Morocco remains confident in its position as the European Union’s top tomato supplier from non-EU countries despite increasing opposition from Spain.
The North African nation has dismissed legal threats from Spanish agricultural groups, calling them an ongoing attempt to block its exports.
On January 20, 2025, the Coordination of Spanish Farmers’ and Breeders’ Organisations (COAG) announced plans to file a complaint with the Court of Auditors of the European Union (ECA).
The group accuses Moroccan tomato importers of tax fraud, alleging that nearly 230,000 tonnes of additional Moroccan tomatoes entered the European market each year between 2019 and 2024—well above the 285,000-tonne cap set by the 2012 EU-Morocco Agreement on Reciprocal Liberalization Measures on Agricultural and Fishery Products.
According to COAG, Spain should have collected 71.7 million euros in duties from Moroccan tomato imports exceeding the quota.
The Spanish farming sector has expressed growing concerns over what they see as unfair competition, with Spanish producers struggling to keep up with Morocco’s lower production costs and favorable trade terms.
Moroccan industry leaders view these allegations as repetitive attempts to curb their exports. “We have heard about this communication in the press, but we have not seen anything official,” said Lahoucine Adardour, president of the Moroccan Interprofessional Federation for the Production and Export of Fruits and Vegetables (Fifel).
He added, “This is not new and it is not surprising. Spanish producers have been trying for years to hinder Moroccan exports, without success.”
Morocco’s tomato industry has grown significantly over the past decade, benefiting from lower labor costs, abundant sunshine, and a favorable customs framework. As a result, the country has surpassed Spain as the leading supplier of tomatoes to the EU.
The gap between Morocco and Spain widened further in 2022 due to rising energy costs in Europe, largely driven by the war in Ukraine.
Spanish tomato growers, who rely heavily on greenhouse production in regions such as Almería, have struggled with high gas prices, making it difficult to compete with Morocco’s open-field cultivation methods.
Frustrated by these economic disadvantages, Spanish farmers have increased efforts to challenge Morocco’s strong presence in European markets.
In 2023, the Spanish Federation of Associations of Exporters of Fruits, Vegetables, Flowers, and Live Plants (FEPEX) requested emergency aid of up to 10% of the value of marketed tomato production.
The group cited concerns over Morocco’s influence in the sector and criticized what they described as weak enforcement of EU trade rules.
Despite these efforts, Moroccan exports remain strong. During the 2022/2023 season, the country shipped a record 539,307 tonnes of tomatoes to the EU.
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