Morocco: an end in sight for tomatoes exports restrictions?

Morocco, a key supplier of tomatoes to European and West African markets, is expected to ease its export restrictions as production improves with the end of the cold waves.

The country had placed restrictions on exports of tomatoes to West African markets after prices soared to more than 15 dirhams per kilo in the local market compared to up to 6 dirhams now.

Markets in the UK were seriously disrupted with empty tomatoes shelves in supermarkets due to a severe cold snap that reduced output in key exporting markets of Morocco and Spain.

As the weather warms, production jumped to 1000 kilograms per hectare compared to 300 few weeks ago during the cold snap.

Morocco is the second provider of tomatoes on the EU market after the Netherlands and ahead of Spain.