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Rabat – Morocco has reportedly halted its tomato exports to African countries in a bid to curb rising domestic prices.
The decision comes as tomato prices reached MAD 15 ($1.63) per kilogram, weighing down average and low-income households.
Spanish news agency EFE quoted sources from the Moroccan Interprofessional Federation of Fruit and Vegetable Production and Export (FIFEL), saying the measure was adopted on Monday by the Independent Agency for the Control and Coordination of Exports.
Beyond Africa, Morocco has also partially restricted shipments to Europe until further notice.
A FIFEL source said the suspension was agreed upon “mutually and amicably.”
Morocco ranks among the world’s leading tomato exporters. In November last year, data from the UN Commodity Trade Statistics Database (Comtrade) show the country has risen from fifth to third place globally, consolidating its position as a major supplier.
According to the same data, Morocco exports around 767,000 tons of fresh tomatoes each year, more than triple the 217,000 tons recorded in 2005.
The North African country generated nearly $1.2 billion from tomato sales between July 2024 to June 2025, based on EastFruit figures citing Morocco’s Foreign Exchange Office.
The decision to suspend exports came just a few days after a new government measure regulating financial support for Moroccan fresh tomato exports.
The measure establishes the amount and procedures for granting state aid aimed at promoting and diversifying exports of fresh tomatoes to markets outside the European Union and the United Kingdom.
It also comes amid ongoing EU procedures that have introduced a series of maneuvers targeting and affecting Moroccan agricultural exports.
In 2024, trucks carrying Moroccan tomatoes were vandalized and their cargo destroyed. In some instances, local distributors even set trucks on fire in protest in Spain to block distribution.
