Spain: Fraud in tomato imports from Morocco in the first month of season.

In October, the first month of the season, Morocco has violated the provisions of the Partnership Agreement with the EU, both in export volumes and with respect to input prices, once again causing the collapse of the tomato market quotes in the EU.

In Morocco the export season began on 14 October continuing until the 31st of last month, they exported to the EU a total of 24,000 tons of tomatoes in the face of a quota for this period established by the Association Agreement which was 10,600 tons, with no additional quotas to be extended this month, repeating the situation of last October, when it also exceeded the quota.

Moreover, in the mentioned period of the 14th to 31st of October, the import values for tomatoes originating in Morocco were well below the agreed entry price of 461 Euros per ton for 8 days. The EU-Morocco Agreement provides that if the entry price is a lot less than the agreed entry price of 461 Euros per ton, they should apply the specific duty tariff (which reaches 20.8 Euros for a hundred kilos) if the entry price in less than 92%. FEPEX considers that these tariffs are not being paid.

For FEPEX, the high volume of cheap imports facilitated by non-payment of customs duties has led to the collapse of EU markets, strongly aggravating the crisis in which the whole Spanish sector is immersed in.

Faced with this grave situation, FEPEX has demonstrated on innumerable occasions that it is imperative that the European Commission and the customs authorities of Member States control the values declared by importers of Moroccan tomatoes, require the payment of customs duties when the price of Moroccan tomatoes is below the established association agreement, and that compliance is monitored in the monthly quotas.

Source: www.fepex.es 

Publication date: 11/23/2009

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