The United Kingdom’s markets have been severely impacted by the absence of Moroccan tomatoes, as seen by the numerous images of bare shelves that shoppers shared on social media.
Although tags on shelves attributed the shortage to weather conditions in both Morocco and Spain, experts in the UK say that the drop in the UK’s main tomato suppliers is Aldo due to a lack of domestic production.
According to importers, there are significant issues with the supply of Moroccan tomatoes, as quoted by Fruitnet, a website that focuses on the agricultural sector. It also stated that there are concerns about a countrywide crisis of tomatoes.
The same website talked about the reason for the decline in tomato supplies from Morocco, saying: “In the North African country, growers and suppliers have had to contend with a “perfect storm” of cold temperatures, heavy rain, flooding, and canceled ferries over the past three to four weeks – all of which have seriously affected the volume of fruit reaching Britain.”
Other sources said that the UK’s current tomato shortage was caused by rising energy prices, which were making it difficult for tomato growers to heat their greenhouses.
According to Julie Woolley, a spokesperson for the British Tomato Growers Association, “Wholesale gas prices affect all growers, and the availability of tomatoes is a global issue.”
Tomato farmers have been hard struck by inflation in other regions, according to Phillip Morley, a botanist and technical officer at the association. He also noted that higher fuel prices have now increased shipping expenses.
According to him, the price of other inputs such as seeds, fertilizer, and feed has also jumped by between 100 and 400 percent.
All fruit and vegetable growers in the UK are currently affected by these issues, not just tomato growers said to the National Farmers’ Union.
British food is in danger, said the body’s president, Minnette Batters, who informed the BBC that “global volatility affects the stability of agricultural production, food security, and energy security in the world.”
Following Brexit, commerce between Morocco and the UK dramatically increased, reaching 22.9 billion dirhams in bilateral trade volume in 2017.
A press release from the Moroccan-British Partnership Council’s second session, which took place on Thursday, stated that trade climbed by approximately 50% from 15.3 billion dirhams in 2019 to 22.9 billion dirhams last year.
In view of the current climate situation, the government has forbidden the shipment of tomatoes, onions, and potatoes to countries in West Africa, according to Morocco Fordex, the country’s agricultural export control agency, and now it seems that the UK joined the list included in the export ban.
In a prior statement, Morocco’s minister of agriculture, Mohamed Sadiki, said that the country has several agreements with experts regarding exporting to other countries.
The minister claimed that only cherry tomatoes, which are not particularly well-liked and popular in Morocco, are currently widely exported.
He implied during an interview with Hespress that traditional tomatoes will soon stop being exported, which now seems to be the case.
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