Over the past five years, Morocco has increased its income from vegetable exports by almost two-thirds, reaching $1.4 billion in 2022, mainly thanks to the export of tomatoes and peppers, indicates a specialized site.
In total, Moroccan exports of fresh, dried and frozen vegetables have generated an income of 5.3 billion dollars over the past five years, reveals the portal specializing in agriculture EastFruit, adding that Moroccan vegetables are now available in 80 countries around the world, with France, Spain, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Germany leading the top five importers.
Tomatoes and peppers are the two categories of vegetables most exported by Morocco. Unlike other countries, more than half of Morocco’s total export revenue, or 53%, was generated by peppers, while the share of tomatoes amounted to 31%.
In addition, the country actively exports fresh herbs, zucchini, onions, cucumbers, potatoes and many other vegetables. Moreover, these vegetable exports have grown almost year-on-year for the past five years, increasing 64% since 2018.
It should be noted that France is the absolute leader in vegetable imports from Morocco, accounting for about half of the Kingdom’s total vegetable export revenue. According to EastFruit, the shares of other countries are smaller: Spain (15%), the United Kingdom (12%) and the Netherlands (8%). Germany comes in fifth place and represents about 3% of total Moroccan vegetable exports from 2018 to 2022 in terms of value.
At the top of the list of the most exported vegetables to France, tomatoes represent 87% of exports. This result is not surprising, because in 2022, Morocco was the third largest tomato exporter in the world. For France, Morocco is the second most important supplier of vegetables after Spain. In addition, Morocco’s share in the French market has gradually increased, reaching 15% in 2022, with exports totaling $600 million.
Regarding exports to Spain, the dominant vegetable categories are tomatoes (40%) and peppers (36%). For the Iberian Kingdom, Morocco is also the second most important supplier of vegetables, with France in the lead. Indeed, the demand for Moroccan vegetables remains active and their exports to Spain reached 177 million dollars in 2022 alone.
On the other hand, Morocco is the third largest supplier of vegetables to the UK. Tomatoes are, again, the most exported product and their shipments have tripled since 2018. Thus, the United Kingdom is now the most dynamic market for Moroccan vegetable exports among the main countries. Moroccan exporters shipped vegetables worth $237 million to the UK market.
Exports to the Netherlands have also recorded rapid growth, increasing more than five times over the past five years to reach $148 million in 2022. The Netherlands is notably considered a major global exporter and re-exporter of vegetables, and Morocco mainly focuses on tomato exports to this market. As for Germany, revenue from vegetable sales to the country reached $52 million.