Spain’s Farm and Fishery Imports From Morocco Reach €2.456 Billion
Spain imported €2.456 billion of agricultural and fishery products from Morocco in 2025, led by vegetables and molluscs. Spanish producers are demanding equal production standards as the EU and Morocco prepare to renegotiate agreements covering agriculture, fisheries and Western Sahara.
Moroccan supplies gain share in Spain
Spain imported €2.456 billion of agricultural and fishery products from Morocco in 2025, according to El Español. The expansion has intensified pressure on Spanish growers and fishing businesses, which argue that lower labour costs and less demanding environmental and social rules give Moroccan suppliers a price advantage.
Tomatoes illustrate the shift. Of more than 65,000 tonnes imported by Spain during the first five months of the year, 42,000 tonnes came from Morocco. Between September 2025 and May 2026, Spanish imports of fresh Moroccan fruit and vegetables reached 205,777 tonnes, up 6.4% from the previous season. Pepper shipments rose 18.8% to 102,951 tonnes, while tomato volumes increased 2.2% to 77,614 tonnes.
Morocco has expanded its tomato area by 5,000 hectares in recent years to 12,090 hectares, according to estimates from Almería industry association Cohexpal. Almería now has about 8,000 hectares remaining after Spain lost 4,000 hectares over five years. Each hectare supports six jobs, making the contraction a direct employment concern for the province.
Producers seek equal rules
Andrés Góngora, secretary-general of farmers’ organisation COAG and a tomato producer in Almería, told El Español that labour costing €1 in Morocco costs €10 in Almería. Spanish farmers say this difference, combined with stricter EU requirements, makes price competition extremely difficult. They are pressing for mirror clauses that would subject imports to production conditions comparable with those imposed on EU farms.
Competition extends beyond tomatoes. Spain also buys Moroccan strawberries, cucumbers, courgettes, aubergines and green beans, with production calendars on both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar frequently overlapping. Imports of berries exceeded €500 million last year, affecting Huelva, Europe’s leading strawberry-producing area. Producer groups also argue that desalination projects supported by Spain and the EU are helping irrigate Morocco’s expanded agricultural acreage while Spanish rural areas continue to request water infrastructure.
Fisheries and Western Sahara shape negotiations
Molluscs were among Spain’s largest Moroccan imports in 2025, with a value of €622 million, based on the 2025 Annual Foreign Trade Report cited by El Español. Morocco ranks among the world’s 25 leading fishing countries and is Spain’s largest supplier. Meanwhile, Spain has lost 25% of its fishing capacity over a decade, and the Spanish fleet is not currently operating in Moroccan waters.
The Court of Justice of the European Union annulled the EU-Morocco agriculture and fisheries agreements in October 2024 because they had been concluded without the consent of the people of Western Sahara. The EU treats Western Sahara as a territory separate from Morocco and requires consent for commercial agreements affecting it. Morocco wants production from the territory, including agricultural plantations and waters off its coast, recognised within future arrangements.
The EU and Morocco are expected to negotiate new agreements in the autumn. Spanish agricultural cooperatives, fishing organisations and industry association Cepesca do not expect the current tension surrounding Ceuta to determine import volumes or the talks. The negotiations will nevertheless have direct consequences for Spanish producers, Moroccan suppliers and EU companies—particularly Spanish and French businesses participating in Moroccan agriculture and fisheries with local capital.
