Morocco to Increase Citrus

Exports to EU
Safaa Kasraoui

Rabat - Morocco aims to increase its citrus exports to the European

Union, the Moroccan Citrus Interprofessional Federation announced
this week.

According to FreshPlaza, a news website that mainly covers

vegetable and fruits imports, Morocco seeks to increase its citrus
exports to 15 to 20%, the equivalent of 600,000 and 650,000
tonnes.

The website said Morocco’s citrus plantations “have currently

stabilised at around 135 thousand hectares planted.”

Morocco exports citrus fruits to the UK, the EU, Russia, Gulf
:
 countries, Canada, Asia, and the US, the news outlet added.

It quoted El Mehi El Alami, Director of Promotion and Development

of Morocco Foodex, as saying that Brexit gives “both the UK and
Morocco a totally new environment full of opportunities.”

“Moroccan products specific to the needs of UK markets, direct

commercial relationship between operators, new competitive
situation towards continental producers and new lines of logisities,”
El Alami added.

Amid the growing reputation of Morocco’s products in the

international market, several farmers and organizations from the EU
have expressed concerns over rising Moroccan exports to Europe.

EU imports of tomatoes from Morocco increased by 26% in the past

five years, while tomato exports from the Netherlands and Spain to
the EU decreased by 5% and 20%.

In a previous article, FreshPlaza argued that Spain is facing strong

competition from Morocco, “whose presence is growing in the
[European] community market.”

According to FEPEX, “such competition also affects other producing

countries such as the Netherlands, which is why a trade policy that
supports community preference is becoming increasingly urgent.”

Groups of European agriculture producers from several countries

have long expressed concerns over the increasing presence of
Moroccan products.

In October, 200 farmers from the Spanish city of Almeria and

representatives of fruit and vegetable companies carried out a
protest around the port of the city against Spain’s importing of
:
 Moroccan agricultural products.

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