Morocco's agricultural sector is expanding cultivated area, export volumes, and crop range as part of a policy framework aimed at increasing access to European markets and improving compliance with EU standards.
Government strategy focuses on raising output, improving quality, diversifying crops, and applying production techniques aligned with European plant health and sustainability requirements. The objective is to reinforce Morocco's role as a supplier to Europe while supporting export-led growth across multiple regions.
The Spanish Association of Fruit and Vegetable Producers and Exporters (Fepex) outlined the changing trade relationship in its 2025 annual report. According to Fepex, an amended agreement between Morocco and the European Commission, pending approval by the European Parliament, would extend customs preferences to fruit and vegetables originating from Morocco's southern regions. Production in these areas has expanded rapidly and is mainly export-oriented.
Fepex stated that Morocco plans to double its cultivated land within five years, a development viewed as competitive pressure for Spanish producers facing higher costs within the EU. Economist Idriss El Fina told The Arab Weekly that the revised agricultural agreement could attract local and foreign investment, increase exports, create jobs, and improve integration across production and value chains.
The policy framework is anchored in the Green Morocco plan and the Green Generation 2020–2030 strategy. These programs combine investment in large-scale farms, irrigation infrastructure, and modern production systems with support for small-scale growers through cooperative and community projects.
Between 2005 and 2023, Morocco's agricultural export volumes increased by more than 120 per cent, while export value rose by over 500 per cent, reaching US$4.0 billion, according to Italiafruit News. Growth has been driven by upgraded production chains, investment in infrastructure, and market access.
Agriculture employs around 40 per cent of Morocco's workforce and is a key contributor to foreign currency earnings. Investment has increased in regions including Agadir and Taroudant, with the expansion of cultivated land, drip irrigation systems, and greenhouse production.
Moroccan tomato exports average 600,000 tons per year and account for nearly half of vegetable exports. Red fruits and avocados have gained a share in export programs. Between November 2024 and August 2025, Morocco exported 19,600 tons of avocados to Germany, making it the country's third-largest supplier.
Fruit production has increased by about 33 per cent over the past twenty years. France and Spain together account for 49 per cent of Morocco's agricultural exports, followed by the UK and the Netherlands with 29 per cent. Italy imports smaller volumes, mainly citrus. Logistics corridors linking Moroccan production regions to the ports of Algeciras and Valencia support off-season supply into Europe.
Fepex expects Spanish fruit and vegetable exports to exceed US$19.6 billion in 2025, up about five per cent year on year, while noting ongoing structural constraints within European production systems.
Source: The Arab Weekly
