Rabat – June 11, 2013
Morocco ranked as the world’s sixth largest tomato exporter in 2010 and recorded an average annual growth rate of 5.8pc in the 1990-2010 period, says the ministry of economy and finance.
Morocco only received 5pc of the world tomato market expansion in this period, which reflects the harsh competition by other Mediterranean countries, particularly those of the European Union, the ministry notes in a study on comparative advantages of the Moroccan agro-food market exports.
The study which recommends to explore other outlets, such as Russia, which was in 2010 the world’s second largest importer also notes that the “Morocco-Green” program is set to considerably consolidate Moroccan tomato exports by 2020 by building on the new preferences provided by the latest agricultural agreements signed in 2012 with the European Union (39pc increase of Morocco’s quotas starting in 2015).
The sector of early fruits and vegetables earned Morocco in 2011 over 2.7 billion Dirhams in foreign currency and generates an annual 9 million work days.
