Tomato contact group concerned due to increase in Moroccan imports in the EU

The European tomato exporters are concerned regarding the increase in imports from Morocco into the European Union. The imports have risen from 365,695 tons in 2013 to 557,225 tons in 2022, and 701,541 tons if the UK is included, according to Spanish media.

The British market has shown the "loss of competitiveness" of the Community production the most. In this regard, Spanish tomato exports to the UK have decreased from 143,182 tons to 70,780 tons over the same period, according to the United Nations Statistics Division data.

Recently, the tomato contact group composed of producers from France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy analyzed the forecasts for the summer campaign and noted a downward trend of 5% for all countries, mainly due to lower yields. Moreover, they acknowledged that the community policy in the field of phytosanitary products and packaging "harms community production." 

The group has therefore agreed to request the withdrawal of the proposals for the Regulation for the sustainable use of phytosanitary products and that for packaging and packaging waste presented by the European Commission, citing their negative impact on the sustainability of crops and on marketing.