Morocco has consolidated its position as one of the world's leading exporters of fresh tomatoes during the 2022/2023 crop year, reaching record figures.
According to the latest data published by the specialised portal EastFruit, between July 2022 and June 2023, the Kingdom exported a total of 716,700 tonnes of tomatoes to international markets, representing a revenue of 990 million dollars.
These figures highlight the growth of this sector in Morocco: in the last decade it has been one of the countries with the highest export growth rates: more than 25% in the last five years alone.
Currently, this product dominates the Kingdom's fruit and vegetable exports, representing almost a third of the total for the 2022/2023 season.
Fresh tomatoes are also among the top 10 products exported by Morocco. According to data from the 2022 Annual Report on Foreign Trade, prepared by the Moroccan Bureau de Change, exports of fresh tomatoes accounted for 2.4% of the total in 2022, with an increase of 35% over the previous year's figure.
Revenues from tomato exports amounted to 10.411 billion dirhams.
France, the main buyer
In terms of buyer countries, Morocco has managed to increase its client base in recent years: today, a total of 44 countries buy Moroccan tomatoes, compared to 24 countries just six years ago.
Morocco started exporting tomatoes to Belgium five years ago, and to Denmark, the Czech Republic and Austria last season. Within a year, export volumes to Denmark and Austria doubled, and exports to the Czech Republic tripled.
Despite the cooling of diplomatic relations with Morocco, France remains its main customer. The country, the third largest importer of tomatoes after the United States and Germany, is the main destination for Moroccan tomato exports, accounting for 49.5% of the total in 2022.
The figure has grown by 18.4% compared to that of 2021 and has allowed the Kingdom to earn 5,153 million dirhams.
The second main destination in 2022 was the United Kingdom, with 21% of the total and a year-on-year increase of 59.3%. Exports to this country have brought Morocco 2,182 million dirhams.
In third place was the Netherlands, which acquired 11.8% of the total, for a value of 1.224 billion dirhams. Exports to this country grew by 70.5% compared to the previous year.
The fourth largest importer of Moroccan tomatoes in 2022 was Spain, with 8.3%, worth Dh859 million, 20.5% more than in 2021.
The figures for Moroccan tomato exports in 2022 allow the Kingdom to climb to third place in the ranking of the world's largest exporters of this product, thanks to a year-on-year growth of 17%, the highest among all countries in the world.
Currently, the Netherlands, Mexico, Morocco and Spain are the four largest exporters in the world, with 60% of the total.
