Significant Increase in Potato Imports from Europe to Morocco
Recent data has revealed a remarkable increase in the export of potatoes from European countries to Morocco, particularly during the period from July 2025 to June 2026. This surge has exceeded 50% of Morocco's total cumulative imports over the past five years. According to the EastFruit platform, which specializes in tracking and analyzing fruit and vegetable markets, Morocco's imports of fresh potatoes intended for consumption have surpassed 12,000 tons during this timeframe.
This figure represents a substantial 50% increase compared to the cumulative imports recorded in the previous five years. Furthermore, it is 2.4 times higher than the previous record set during the marketing year of 2008/2009. The analysis attributes this rise to an "exceptional disruption" in the local potato market during the 2025/2026 marketing year, which necessitated the importation of record quantities to compensate for local shortages.
The spike in European potato exports to Morocco is largely explained by severe flooding that affected northern production areas in January and February 2026, particularly the Loukkos basin, where fields of table potatoes were inundated and many farmers lost their entire crops. As a result of this local supply collapse, imports experienced a sharp increase in March, peaking in April and May, which accounted for nearly 80% of the total imports for the year.
European suppliers dominated Morocco's potato imports, with the Netherlands accounting for more than half of the shipments, France capturing nearly a third, and Belgium covering the remainder. The increase in European potato exports has enabled Moroccan importers to stabilize the local market by utilizing affordable European table potatoes while also providing European exporters with an outlet for their surplus stocks.
As reported by hespress.com.
