Prices of Moroccan tomatoes are soaring following strong demand in Europe. Over the past few years, Moroccan tomatoes have gained in value in European markets. This increase, which is justified by a certain number of factors, does not however benefit all producers and exporters.
Tomatoes from Morocco record relatively high prices in Europe, the main market for this agricultural product. Export prices for tomatoes thus fluctuate, during this period, between 0.8 and 1 euro per exported kilogram. Prices even reached 1.5 euros per kg exported in the first week of the export campaign.
This increase is explained by the strong demand following the delays in planting caused by the climate of uncertainty due to the health crisis. The result is a poor harvest of the fruit, as one farmer put it: “My production does not exceed 20% of what I usually harvest in this period, resulting in overheating prices. These courses are unheard of in this period ”.
However, the situation hardly benefits exporters, the same source said. Indeed, the latter are faced with a number of costs that must be deducted from the export selling price.
Among them, the commission of intermediaries, the costs of packaging and transport, the charges of forwarders in Morocco and abroad to obtain the net producer price, not to mention the customs duties reaching around 1 dirham per kg exported.
Likewise, farmers and growers have to cope with the current drought and water scarcity in the main tomato growing area.