Concerns are mounting as mango exporters from Mali are betting on the Moroccan market after the European Union banned their exports over phytosanitary issues linked to fruit flies, especially since imports from Mali reached 3,500 tonnes in 2020, representing 44% of Morocco’s total mango imports.
“We are relying entirely on the Moroccan market this season, along with the British market, to export our fruit,” Niama Djefaga, operations manager of SCS International, a mango export company, said to East Fruit.
MP Aicha El Kout of the PJD warns in a written question to the Minister of Agriculture about Malian exporters already flooding the Moroccan market with produce that does not meet strict European health standards, a move she says is “raising concern among Moroccan farmers and agricultural professionals.”
She noted that the fruit fly is one of the most harmful cross-border pests, posing a direct threat to Moroccan farms, especially the citrus sector, a key pillar of agricultural exports.
In September 2025, the European Union temporarily suspended mango imports from Mali over repeated sanitary interceptions linked to fruit flies since 2022, a move that has shaken confidence in the country’s export system and hit its main market, which absorbed around 80% of nearly $11 million in mango exports in 2024.
Last season alone, European authorities intercepted more than 63 Malian mango shipments at their borders due to fruit fly contamination.
Yet, Ali Chettour, president of the Moroccan Association for Consumer Rights Protection and member of the Moroccan Federation of Consumer Rights, said that any food product, be it imported or locally produced, is subject to control by ONSSA, in line with current regulations, to ensure compliance with health and safety standards.
He stressed that protecting consumer health and the right to information remains a priority, calling for stronger monitoring and greater awareness in this area.
Morocco’s mango imports have been rising steadily in recent years, reaching a record 15,600 tonnes in 2024, up 10% from the previous year and nearly double the levels of 2019 and 2020.
They have grown by around 15% annually since 2020.
In 2025, imports stood at 2,500 tonnes in January and February alone, around three times the volume recorded over the same period last year, according to EastFruit.
The data also revealed that imports continue year-round, with a peak between March and May, and are mainly supplied by African countries, particularly Mali and Senegal.
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