Moroccan Tomatoes Outperform Spain’s in UK Market

Morocco has raised its tomato exports to the United Kingdom by 33.68 percent since Brexit, outperforming Spain.

Between January and November 2021, the UK dropped its tomato purchases from Spain by 24.1 percent, according to Spanish news outlet Diario de Almeria.

Moroccan tomato exports grew as a result of the association agreement concluded between the UK and Morocco following Brexit, according to data collated by Hortoinfo.

Between January and November 2020, British importers purchased 79.1 million kg of Spanish tomatoes, according to the news agency. In the same time of 2021, the figure reduced to 60 million kilos.

During the same period in 2020, the UK purchased 72.8 million kg of tomatoes from Morocco.

In the same period of 2021, the figure was 97.3 million.

According to data, the Netherlands, Morocco, and Spain supply 91.36 percent of the UK’s tomatoes.

According to the EU Agricultural Outlook 2021-2031, Morocco is still the number one supplier of fresh tomatoes to the EU.

For years, Moroccan tomatoes have been a cause of anxiety for Spanish growers.

In 2021, a group of European agricultural producers from a number of nations, notably Spain, expressed worry over the growing presence of Moroccan products on EU marketplaces.

The producers met virtually to discuss how to establish a united front against the “threat” of Moroccan shipments to Europe.

In October 2021, 200 farmers from Almeria, Spain, along with representatives from fruit and vegetable firms, organized a demonstration against Spain’s import of Moroccan agricultural products around the city’s port.

According to data from Fresh Plaza, the EU’s tomato imports from Morocco have climbed by 26% in the last five years.

Tomato imports into the European Union increased from 344,094 tonnes in 2016 to 435,041 tonnes in 2020.

 

You might also like

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More