Marrakech – Morocco has strengthened its position as Spain’s leading supplier of fruits and vegetables. Spanish imports from Morocco reached €899.5 million during the first half of 2025, according to the Iberian country’s Federation of Associations of Producers and Exporters of Fruits and Vegetables (FEPEX) data.

This represents a significant 33% year-on-year growth in both value and volume. The total volume imported reached 377,842 tons, maintaining the strong growth trend of recent years.

Over the past five years, purchases from Morocco have increased by 58% in value. They rose from €571.4 million in the first half of 2021 to nearly €900 million in the same period this year. Volume growth was more modest at 8%, increasing from 348,112 tons to 377,842 tons.

Morocco now ranks as Spain’s top supplier by value and second by volume, behind France. French exports to Spain totaled 589,974 tons worth €254 million.

The continuous growth of Moroccan imports is causing concern in Spain’s agricultural sector. FEPEX indicates that these imports are displacing key Spanish products, particularly tomatoes.

The organization largely attributes this situation to the entry prices established in the EU-Morocco Association Agreement, describing these prices as obsolete and ineffective in protecting the EU market.

Bilateral trade reached record levels in 2024

FEPEX is calling for urgent reform of this agreement to ensure the viability of Spanish crops. The federation also stresses the need to comply with EU Court of Justice (ECJ) rulings from October 4, 2024 – a controversial and deeply flawed decision that excludes Saharan production from tariff advantages.

The first quarter of 2025 showed this trend continuing strongly. Spain imported 188,076 tons of fruits and vegetables from Morocco worth €481 million during those first three months. This represents a 24% increase in volume and 23% in value compared to the same period last year.

Tomatoes lead Morocco’s exports to Spain, followed by peppers and green beans. Vegetable exports increased by 34%, rising from 24,118 tons in Q1 2024 to 32,313 tons in Q1 2025.

The broader trade relationship between Rabat and Madrid reached record levels in 2024. Bilateral trade surpassed €22.7 billion, with Spanish exports to Morocco reaching €12.86 billion and Moroccan exports to Spain totaling €9.83 billion.

Morocco has become Spain’s seventh-largest global client and third-largest non-EU customer. It represents 61% of Spain’s exports to Africa and 79% of exports to North Africa.