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Rabat – An agricultural outlook report confirmed Morocco will maintain its lead as a key supplier of fresh tomatoes to the European Union.
The report presents the medium term outlook for agricultural markets and income covering the period between 2024 and 2035.
The report acknowledged that EU imports of fresh fruit and vegetables are set to increase while exports will decline – a change that is attributed to the new varieties “that are better focused on the tastes of global consumers.”
This excludes apples that the EU exports, which is set to increase by 0.6% per year to 1.1 million tons in 2035.
This trend will not be applied to fresh tomatoes, peaches and nectarines, whose EU exports are expected to decline.
Exports of oranges are projected to be stable, the report said.
“This decline is driven by the increased domestic availability of new varieties of high quality apples,” the report added.
As for tomatoes, EU’s imports were expected to continue to increase by 0.6% per year, with Morocco expected to remain the main supplier.
The EU exports of processed tomatoes will remain stable thanks to strong global demand, the report projected.
The new statistics are unlikely to sit well with European farmers, who have increasingly targeted Morocco’s exports from tomatoes and other forms of produce, claiming a lack of competition. This backlash is fueled by the sentiment amongst EU farmers thatMorocco has an unfair advantage.
In February, these farmers blocked roads and attacked Moroccan trucks transporting vegetables in protest.
In May, data from the European Commission said Morocco held a 65% share of the EU’s total tomato imports last year.
