The Tomato Contact Group of the Spanish-Franco-Italian Fruit and Vegetables Joint Committee met on Tuesday, April 16, in Almeria for the first time. At the meeting, which Coexphal sponsored, the Group discussed the reality and priorities of the sector.
The need to balance the European market's competition conditions is a priority for the European tomato sector, which is losing competitiveness over time and is being displaced from the Community market. During the meeting, the three delegations stressed that the entry price system of the EU-Morocco Association Agreement didn't work and requested the application of cooperation and safeguard clauses. They also stated that the application of the tariff concessions of the agreement to the productions of Western Sahara and the important economic support of the Moroccan Government to its tomato-producing sector would make matters worse.
Spanish exports to the EU have decreased by 20% in the last decade, while imports from Morocco have more than doubled (to almost 700,000 tons), placing this country as the EU's second-largest supplier. In addition, Morocco has also won over the United Kingdom market, as in the past ten years, UK tomato imports from Spain have gone from 130,000 tons to 62,000 tons, while imports from Morocco went from 30,000 tons to 130,000 tons.
According to Juan Antonio González, president of Coexphal, if the same standards are not demanded, European production will disappear. Production is being relocated to less safe territories regarding environmental protection, people's health, and labor rights, such as Morocco or Turkey.
The phytosanitary situation of tomato cultivation in each country and the tools available to combat pests were also addressed. According to the Contact Group, even though European producers have made progress in integrated pest management with techniques such as biological control, the absence of available phytosanitary treatments in the EU harms the viability of tomato cultivation and its competitiveness.
They also stressed that, before implementing any new bans on active materials, regulators should keep in mind that the sector needs to be able to combat the diseases that affect tomato crops and have effective alternatives to do so.
The sector's balance for the 2023/24 campaign is not positive. Production increased by 7%, but prices fell by 22% and turnover by 17%, while costs are 20% higher than two years ago, according to data from Almeria, which accounts for more than 60% of Spain's tomato export volume. The area for the spring campaign is expected to grow slightly, which will be more noticeable in the case of organic crops.
For more information:
Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias
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