Tensions over Moroccan tomato imports are flaring again in France, where local producers accuse Moroccan suppliers of unfair competition. Moroccan fresh produce exporters have repeatedly said such campaigns were triggered by disinformation.
Last week, members of the Confédération Paysanne stormed a Franco-Moroccan logistics hub in Perpignan before being removed by police, then entered a supermarket to denounce what they claim are “dumped prices” of Moroccan cherry tomatoes.
The protests come as the Franco-Moroccan Joint Committee on Fruits and Vegetables, revived earlier this year to ease tensions, has yet to deliver concrete results.
Under the 2012 EU-Morocco free trade agreement, Morocco can export 285,000 tons of tomatoes duty-free between October and May, after which standard tariffs apply.
French unions argue the EU’s entry price mechanism is outdated and ill-suited to premium tomato varieties, while Morocco insists the system already imposes strict compliance.
Moroccan fresh produce exporters have repeatedly condemned what they describe as “disinformation campaigns” led by French and Spanish farming lobbies.
According to Morocco’s Association of Fruit and Vegetable Producers and Exporters (APEFEL), these campaigns often invoke pesticide concerns and price manipulation claims without scientific basis.
APEFEL points to EU safety data showing Moroccan produce ranks among the most compliant globally, with less than 1% of alerts linked to Moroccan imports. The group accuses European competitors of using “health scare tactics” to pressure Brussels into tightening trade rules.
