Spain's tomato sector has been affected by the significant increase in imports in the last decade, especially from Morocco, and the effects of the tomato brown rugose virus in recent campaigns, which has led to a reduction in labor and a change in crop varieties. Since 2014, EU tomato imports from third countries have increased exponentially, while Spanish exports to the EU have decreased by 43%. Imports from Morocco, in particular, have increased by 221%, going from 18,045 tons in 2014 to 57,926 tons in 2023, according to Customs data analyzed by the Spanish Federation of Fruit and Vegetable Producers and Exporters (Fepex).
This increase in Moroccan imports has left the Spanish tomato in a disadvantageous position, according to José María Pozancos, president of Fepex. Pozancos has criticized the EU entry price regime, arguing that the concessions made to Morocco when calculating the standard import value reduced its effectiveness. This unfavorable competitive environment has affected labor and led to a change in crop varieties. Companies have had to adapt by diversifying production towards more profitable varieties and increasing robotization in storage processes to compensate for the reduction in personnel.
In the Canary Islands, only five companies dedicated to exporting tomatoes are left due to the pressure of imports. Gustavo Rodríguez, spokesman for the Provincial Federation of Fruit and Vegetable Product Exporters of Las Palmas, highlighted the difficulty of competing against countries with lower labor costs and phytosanitary requirements. Turkey is another important competitor, having increased its tomato exports to the EU from 10,511 tons in 2013 to 87,571 tons in the last campaign, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food (MAPA).
Source: efeagro.com