AgroaldeaTHE MAIN PRODUCERS ARE SPANISH AND FRENCH.
Moroccan tomato exporters recognize that the area allocated to this crop, has increased during the last four campaigns around the 20%, close to some 1.025 hectares. Production has grown 22% and export volumes have gone from 238.412 tons to 342.211 tons in the last three years.
Moroccan exporters indicate that they often do not understand the criticism they receive because the majority of operators working in Morocco are European: Spanish and French and, lately, also portuguese.
In this sense, from the Agrarian Coordinator COAG, They consider it regrettable that Spanish companies, many of them from the southeast of the peninsula, continue betting on Morocco instead of the producers of their land.
The entry of Moroccan tomatoes into the community market has been increasing constantly in recent years, causing saturation situations in the markets that lead to major price crises each campaign..
Like this, In the last week of October, prices fell as a result of the entry into the community market of the first kilos of Moroccan tomatoes., Therefore, they have agreed to slow down their exports to the European Union so that the price recovers and freeze the additional quota..
From COAG they remember that the Alawite authorities have signed an Advanced Statute of Association with the EU, that will allow this country to benefit, from 2013, of cohesion policy and access to community funds.
Although the European Commission has considered tomatoes as a sensitive product, regarding the negotiation of the current bilateral association agreement, the uncertainties of the sector, according to the statistics, are numerous.