• Morocco offers subsidy to boost tomato exports beyond EU, UK

• Exporters get 750 dirhams per ton to new markets

• Policy aims to diversify markets amid tensions with EU producers

Morocco has introduced a new support mechanism for agricultural exports aimed at encouraging diversification of export markets for fresh tomatoes. According to a decree published in the Official Bulletin on March 5 and reported by local media, the measure provides a subsidy of 750 dirhams ($79.44) per ton for volumes exported to destinations outside the European Union and the United Kingdom.

The mechanism is structured as a performance-based incentive. Financial support applies only to volumes exported beyond a reference level based on average shipments recorded between September 2010 and August 2020. The measure is therefore intended to support additional export growth rather than subsidize existing trade flows.

Specifically, the scheme covers exports carried out by sea or land to African markets and other regions of the world, reflecting authorities’ intention to reduce the sector’s strong reliance on the European market.

Measure Introduced Amid Tensions With the European Market

Data from the Trade Map platform show that Morocco exported 767,347 tons of fresh tomatoes worth $1.15 billion in 2024. The European Union absorbed 75.6% of volumes, while the United Kingdom accounted for 16.58%.

These figures confirm Morocco as the leading exporter of tomatoes to both the EU and the United Kingdom among third countries. Reducing this dependence is strategically important for Rabat, as Moroccan tomatoes’ growing presence in EU markets has fueled trade tensions with European producers for several years.

On the French market, the main entry point for Moroccan tomatoes, Moroccan exporters are regularly accused of unfair competition and insufficient transparency in product labeling. In Spain, the Coordination of Spanish Farmers’ and Ranchers’ Organizations (COAG) has repeatedly alleged that Moroccan tomato exports to the EU involve tax fraud.

No evidence has confirmed these allegations to date, but criticism from European producers has persisted. According to the news agency Europa Press, sector representatives from Spain, France, Italy and Portugal met on Feb. 10-11, 2026, in Torres Vedras to demand greater reciprocity in trade agreements with third countries and to denounce the impact of trade concessions granted to Moroccan products.

Against this backdrop, diversification toward Africa and other regions could provide a lever to secure future growth in the kingdom’s tomato exports.

Stéphanas Assocle