Since the entry into force of the new association agreement between Morocco and the European Union, exports of fruit and vegetables to Spain have quadrupled over the past 10 years. At the top, there are tomatoes but also fruits specially grown in Morocco for export such as blueberries, raspberries and avocado.
With the new agreement of 2012 which introduced new measures for the liberalization of the market in Europe, there were reductions or even the elimination of certain tariffs, quotas and entry prices for products in the European area.
This change resulted in the possibility of exporting more quantities of fruit and vegetables for Morocco on the European market (including the United Kingdom).
The volume of exports to Spain alone rose from 130,700 to 496,000 tonnes of vegetables and from 17,400 to 238,000 of fruit, according to figures from the Spanish Federation of Fruit and Vegetable Producers (Fepex), which is based on figures from Spanish customs.
The tomato is in first position among the vegetables most exported by Morocco to its northern neighbor with an increase of 4.22 times in 10 years, going from an average of 19,000 to an average of 80,000 tons, only in Spain . Sweet peppers went from 21,000 to 74,000 tonnes.
For fruits, oranges, the national fruit of Morocco has increased from 2,000 to 10,500 tons knowing that Spain is itself a major producer and exporter of oranges.
The strongest growth in terms of fruits has been observed for fruits which are not part of traditional production in Morocco, they are not intended for local consumption but which mainly serve the demand of European markets, and here we find avocados which have experienced a meteoric rise in the last 10 years, going from only 650 tons to 18,000 tons, only for consumption in Spain.
An extremely significant increase was also recorded in watermelons which increased from 435 to 122,000 tonnes, in the same category of juicy fruits we find the melon which evolved from 6,500 to an average of 9,000 tonnes.
Red fruits, the cultivation of which is specially made for Europe, such as the avocado, a significant increase was observed, going from 300 tonnes to 32,000 tonnes of raspberries, and from 1,000 tonnes to 33,000 tonnes for blueberries, while strawberries, more traditionally known for export, they have gone from 3,000 tons to 8,000 tons for this country which is also a major producer of strawberries and which brings in Moroccan pickers for harvesting in order to lower its cost of labor work and its prices.
More generally at EU level, Morocco’s exports of fruits and vegetables combined, increased from 750,000 to 1.25 million tonnes in total.
Vegetables increased from 550,000 to nearly 700,000 tonnes, increases driven by tomatoes which experienced some change (317,000 to over 400,000 tonnes), peppers from 62,000 to 114,000 tonnes on average.
For fruits, as in Spain, it is the export of avocados, watermelons and red fruits (raspberries and blueberries) which have increased the figures throughout Europe, increasing sales from 200,000 to 560,000 tonnes in the latter decade.