Spanish media furious over rising Moroccan fruit imports

Spain’s fruit import bill from Morocco surged by 30% in the first half of 2024, reaching €3.46 per kilogram, according to the Iberian news outlet OKDIARIO. The increase sparked criticism from the Spanish media, which highlighted its impact on domestic producers.

The article stated that Spanish importers paid an additional €28.5 million to Morocco for 23.8 million fewer kilograms than in the first six months of 2023.

In total, the same source mentioned that Spain imported 125.5 million kilograms of fruit from Morocco for €434.1 million in the first half of this year, up from 149.3 million kilograms for €405 million in the same period of 2023.

Meanwhile, it reported that local farmers were protesting this year, claiming “they were forced to sell their produce at a loss, which threatened their businesses.”

“We estimate that selling nectarines or peaches for less than 45 cents is unsustainable because we’re already near the cost price,” grumbled the head of fruit at Coag in Aragón, Óscar Moret.

Moret argued that “selling at a loss would force a shift in the sector, making it difficult for family-run farms to survive due to unpredictable prices and high production costs.”

Earlier this year, SOS Rural, a non-partisan Spanish agricultural organization, warned of growing predictions that Spain’s food supply could become heavily dependent on imports from Morocco in the coming ten years.

Natalia Corbalán from SOS Rural pointed out that Moroccan fruit imports to Europe surged by 52% from 2013 to 2022, with Moroccan tomato imports alone increasing from 365,695 to 557,225 tons, negatively impacting local agriculture.

Corbalán also expressed concern about Spain’s growing reliance on third countries for basic food needs and criticized European policies, such as funding new farmland in Morocco, for contributing to the decline of European and Spanish agriculture.