fish and tomatoesTHIS IS HOW THE INFLUENTIAL DAILY EXPLAINED IT “THE ECONOMIST” IN AN ARTICLE TITLED “TOMATOES VERSUS FISH”.

The fishing agreement between Morocco and the European Union, pending ratification by King Mohamed VI since February, You'll have to wait. The open conflict over access for Moroccan vegetables to the community market has crossed the path.

«Tomatoes against fish», headlined the influential newspaper "L'Economiste", which added that "Rabat delays the implementation of the fishing agreement", putting black on white what everyone was already commenting on in Rabat.

The past 23 April, at the inauguration of an agricultural forum in the city of Meknes, the Moroccan Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Aziz Ajanuch, and his (so) Spanish counterpart, Miguel Arias Canete, They denied that the two cases were linked, But in the audience everyone smiled skeptically and read the statements as “politically correct.”.

In private, High-ranking Moroccan officials admit that Morocco defends its interests “with all the weapons at its disposal”, and thus justify the delay in the ratification of the fishing agreement, that no one considers it to be a matter of days or weeks, but possibly months.

Moroccan fruit and vegetable exporters themselves, who have shouted to the sky about the new conditions for the entry of their products into the European market, They understand that the problem has already crossed the limits of the sector.

For the spokesperson of the Association of Producers and Exporters of Fruits and Vegetables, APEFEL, Munir Omar, “It's a political problem, we are touching the dignity of a country; now everything is back on the table”.

According to sources close to the negotiations, It has been weeks since the case passed into the hands of Moroccan diplomacy, that applies political and no longer technical criteria to the issue.

[quote]In private, High-ranking Moroccan officials admit that Morocco defends its interests “with all the weapons at its disposal.”[/quote]

In addition, “The European elections have become involved in the conflict and the current blockade with Morocco has become a European electoral issue”, Munir reflected., abounding in pessimism about an immediate solution to the double conflict.

“In the same way that I don't want my Spanish neighbors who live off fishing to be left in the lurch., I don't want us either, Moroccan farmers who depend on tomato exports, let's stay stranded”, underlines.

According to the calculations of the Moroccan Government, the entry into force of the new agricultural measures (which won't be until October) will entail the loss of 30.000 jobs and 130.000 tons that cannot be exported, figure that the union association increases to 150.000 tons.

Munir remembers that the interconnection is not only between fish and vegetables, but also between Morocco and Spain: “Where do you think Moroccan farmers buy fertilizers from?, pesticides, greenhouse plastics and all inputs? From Spain, so also in Spain there are those who are losing due to these new conditions”.

However, It has been the Spanish agricultural organizations that have traditionally complained the most about the “abuse” with which Morocco supposedly interpreted the agricultural agreement to play with the dates and quotas and “flood” the European market with tomatoes at a very low price.

The new community regulations, that will force Moroccan tomatoes to adhere to the quota at a preferential price or at prices regulated by the World Trade Organization, has been established precisely to try to impose clearer and less interpretable criteria.

Analysts now believe that Morocco has played too hard and wants to force the European Commission to go back on its own decisions on the agricultural issue., before the text reaches the European Parliament, something that seems unlikely.

Given this panorama, FEDEX president, Jose Juan Bonny, asked former minister Arias Cañete, if the tomato will be the bargaining chip for the agreement, to which the latter replied that, at least two years ahead, it will not be possible.

In the meantime, The hundred Spanish fishing boats wait moored in port for the new agricultural mess to be resolved. They have been in the dry dock for two years and four months.