Brussels, 15/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - The EU has sent Morocco a compromise offer to resolve the dispute over the conditions for access to the European market for Moroccan fruit and vegetables, according to the Moroccan media, quoting a reliable source. A recent decision by the Council under agriculture policy made changes to the customs clearance process for produce. The Moroccans felt that this would be harmful to their sales, particularly of tomatoes.
We have been informed that early last week, the Moroccan agriculture minister made an unpublicised trip to Brussels. It is likely that the offer was presented on that date, but its content is still unknown. “The existence of this offer points to a recognition of the legitimacy of the Moroccan position”, the Moroccan media note, quoting a “source who is very familiar with the dossier”(our translation).
Morocco is fighting tooth and nail to defend this dossier against the risk of compromising its Green Morocco Plan, a kind of programme contract between the government and professionals in the sector. This Green Plan institutes a “strategy to develop a fresh vegetable sector between 2009 and 2020”.
According to the producer association APEFEL, the aim is to increase the export potential of the Kingdom which, the association explains, “represents just 4% of total EU consumption of fresh tomatoes”. Tomatoes are the most sensitive product in Moroccan sales to the Community market.
In order to increase its export muscle, with a willingness to diversify the markets confirmed by APEFEL, the Green Plan is aiming for an increase in surface area by 50,000 ha, raising fruit and vegetable production from 1.8 to 3.5 million tonnes and growing exports from 0.75 to 1.7 million tonnes.
In order to achieve this, Morocco is planning to develop production around integrated projects, cultivation under glass and the mobilisation of the water resources (particularly by desalinated seawater). This is a vital issue in this country of limited water resources which are threatened by the “irregularity and low levels of rainfall” and “the mass exploitation of water resources from the water table”. According to independent analyses, Morocco's problem (Souss region) is that the water table is dropping by 2 m a year, with supplies of fresh water for agriculture leading to a salinisation of freshwater, as happened in Spain several years ago. The region is in the throes of desertification. With its Green Plan, Morocco also aims to improve productivity. According to APEFEL, it is performing “below potential”, referring to greenhouse tomato yields of 130 tonnes/hectare, compared to the target yield of 200 to 250 tonnes/hectare. (FB)