Spanish imports of carrots from Morocco increased by a factor of 5.7 compared with the previous year. Moreover, Moroccan exports to Spain this year surpassed those of the previous six seasons combined.
This achievement is all the more striking when one considers that carrot exports from Morocco to Spain were relatively modest in previous years, fluctuating between 20 and 280 tonnes per year. This means that over the last six years, only 936 tonnes of Moroccan carrots have been imported into Spain. However, the current season has seen a marked increase in exports. Over 1,500 tonnes of carrots, worth $720,000, have been shipped from Morocco to Spain, with peak exports recorded in February-March this year.
The share of Moroccan
carrots in total imports to Spain, which was around 1% over the last six seasons, climbed to 7% by the end of the 2022/23 marketing year. The drought that hit Europe in 2022 had an impact, affecting not only Spain and Portugal, but also France. As a result, carrot exports from France fell in the 2022/23 marketing year, including shipments to Spain. Morocco seized this opportunity and increased its deliveries to the Spanish market.
Furthermore, in the 2022/23 business year, Morocco surpassed Belgium (Europe’s second largest carrot exporter) in terms of carrot deliveries to Spain, becoming the fourth largest supplier after the Netherlands, Portugal and France. This shows that Morocco has succeeded in diversifying its exports and expanding its presence in Europe, where carrots are not one of its main export categories, unlike tomatoes or peppers.
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