Rabat – According to Spanish Federation of Associations of Fruit, Vegetable, Flower, and Live Plant Producers-Exporters (FEPEX), Morocco is taking the lead as Spain’s main non-European supplier of fruit and vegetables.
FEPEX data shows that the overall cost of vegetables and fruits exported to Spain accounts for $299 million in revenues in the first quarter of 2019.
Based on estimates from the Spanish Directorate of Customs, imports have increased significantly over the previous years, with this year’s overall imports rising by 4 percent compared to last year’s first quarter.
Morocco’s exports in the first quarter of 2019 represent 33 percent of Spain’s total vegetable and fruit imports, the same source notes.
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Spain is experiencing an upward trend in terms of overall imports from Morocco, which rose by 11 percent between January and March 2019, with an estimated 137,760 tons.
The Federation highlighted that Morocco has registered a marked growth over the last five years, from 70,420 tons in 2015 to 137,670 tons in 2019, representing a 95.5 percent growth.
In terms of revenue, imports rose from $141 million to $299 million between the first quarter of 2015 and 2019, representing a 110 percent increase.
The report shows, however, France as the leading European supplier to Spain in terms of vegetables and fruits in the first quarter of 2019, with a total of 295,565 tons estimated at $131 million, compared to, 128.7 million euros in 2012.
In 2016, the figure increased to 413.3 million euros spent on Moroccan produce.
Morocco also stands out as the fourth largest tomato exporter worldwide, according to the UN Statistics Division (UNSD), representing 7% of the world’s total.
