How to import tomatoes from Morocco

At a glance

Tomato season calendar in Morocco

The export season for Moroccan tomatoes runs from October to June. The volume peak is between November and March, just when outdoor production in southern Europe has ended and northern European greenhouse production is low and expensive. Indicative calendar for the 2025/26 season, based on our weekly loads:

Cherry tends to have a slightly longer curve, because many farms stagger their plantings. Confirm weekly availability before agreeing a programme: a cold January can delay the peak by two or three weeks.

Growing regions and varieties of Moroccan tomato

Almost all export tomato comes from Souss-Massa, on the Chtouka plain south of Agadir. Thousands of hectares of plastic greenhouses are concentrated there between the Atlas and the Atlantic, with a mild winter climate and drip irrigation. We load tomato in Agadir. More information on each area is on our regions of origin in Morocco page.

A growing share of cherry tomato comes from the Dakhla area. Its origin labelling has its own rules since 2025 (explained in the requirements section).

Commercial types we work with

• Round smooth: the main volume for wholesale markets and foodservice. Sizes from 47 to 82 mm.
• On-the-vine (truss): sold with the whole truss; the freshness of the stem and uniform colour are valued.
• Round cherry and pear cherry: in 250 g and 500 g punnets, or loose. It is the winter product most in demand by European retailers.
• Pear / Roma: for foodservice, fourth range and some markets in southern France and Italy.

The specific varieties change each season according to seed suppliers and virus resistance. If your customer requests a variety or seed brand, state it when ordering. You will find the current specifications on the Moroccan tomato wholesale product page.

EU import requirements for Moroccan tomatoes

Fresh tomato (CN code 0702 00 00) enters the EU with five blocks of requirements. Some are handled by the exporter in Morocco; others by the importer or their customs agent at the border control post. For the general framework, see our guide to importing fruit and vegetables from Morocco into the EU.

1. Phytosanitary certificate and border control

Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 requires a phytosanitary certificate for fresh fruit entering the EU, except a short list of exemptions (pineapple, banana, coconut, durian and date) that does not include tomato. In Morocco it is issued by ONSSA after inspection. Source: Regulation (EU) 2016/2031, Art. 72 (accessed 18/10/2026) and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072, Annex XI (accessed 18/10/2026).

At the border control post (Algeciras or Almería on our routes) the importer presents the prior notification CHED-PP in TRACES. The authority carries out documentary, identity and physical checks at the frequency set by the regulation. Source: Regulation (EU) 2017/625 (accessed 18/10/2026) and European Commission, TRACES (accessed 18/10/2026).

On the ToBRFV virus: since 1 January 2025 the EU regulates it as a non-quarantine pest for plants for planting and seeds of tomato and pepper, not for fruit for consumption. Source: Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2970 (accessed 18/10/2026).

2. Preferential origin: EUR.1 and the EU–Morocco agreement

The EU–Morocco Association Agreement and the 2012 agricultural agreement grant Moroccan tomato preferential tariff treatment. To apply it, origin must be proven with an EUR.1 certificate or an origin declaration on the invoice from an approved exporter, under Protocol 4 on rules of origin. Source: Decision 2012/497/EU (EU–Morocco agricultural agreement) (accessed 18/10/2026) and Access2Markets (accessed 18/10/2026).

3. Quota and entry price

Tomato is one of the products subject to the EU entry price regime. If the declared import value falls below the entry price, an additional specific duty is paid. Source: Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/891 (accessed 18/10/2026).

For Morocco, the 2012 agreement sets a tariff quota with a reduced entry price between 1 October and 31 May, with monthly ceilings and an additional quota of 28,000 t between 1 November and 31 May. Source: Implementing Regulation (EU) No 812/2012 (accessed 18/10/2026). Outside the quota or outside that period the general regime applies.

4. Tomato from the Dakhla area: origin labelling

Following the EU Court of Justice rulings of October 2024, the EU and Morocco signed a new exchange of notes, applied provisionally from 4 October 2025. Products from Western Sahara under Moroccan customs control keep the preferences, but their origin labelling must distinguish them from products of Morocco. Sources: Council Decision (EU) 2025/2022 (accessed 18/10/2026) and Commission Communication C/2025/5416 (accessed 18/10/2026).

5. MRLs and marketing standards

Pesticide residues must not exceed the maximum residue levels (MRLs) of Regulation (EC) No 396/2005. You can check each active substance in the Commission database. Sources: Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 (accessed 18/10/2026) and EU Pesticides Database (accessed 18/10/2026). Many retail chains also require a maximum percentage of the MRL or a maximum number of active substances: request it in writing from your customer and pass it to the supplier.

Tomato has a specific marketing standard in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2429: classes Extra, I and II, quality and size tolerances, uniformity and marking (origin, class, commercial type and size where applicable). Conformity checks are governed by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2430. Sources: Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2429 (accessed 18/10/2026) and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2430 (accessed 18/10/2026).

Logistics: temperature, mixed loads and transport type

Tomato travels in our cool lane (7–13 °C), with a set point of 10–13 °C and relative humidity of 85–90 %. Below 10 °C chilling injury appears: uneven ripening, pitting and loss of flavour when it reaches the shelf. Above 13 °C it ripens faster and shelf life shortens, which is 1–2 weeks from loading.

Compatibility in mixed loads

• Sweet pepper: compatible. It shares the lane (7–10 °C) and is not very sensitive to ethylene at that range. It is the most common combination on our winter trucks. See the guide to importing sweet peppers from Morocco.
• Courgette and cucumber: same temperature, but they are sensitive to the ethylene that ripe tomato gives off. They are loaded on separate pallets and away from the more coloured tomato pallets. More detail in the courgette import guide.
• Melon: travels in the same lane but gives off a lot of ethylene. We only combine it with tomato on short programmes and with separation. See the guide to importing melons and watermelons from Morocco.
• Soft fruit and green beans: not compatible. They travel in the cold lane (0–4 °C), on another truck in the same departure.

Shared truck, full load or container?

Indicative transit from the last loading point: 2–3 days to Spain (Mercavalencia, Mercamadrid, Mercabarna), 3–4 days to France (Perpignan, Rungis), 4 days to Milan and 5 days to Germany and Rotterdam. The crossing is via Tanger Med → Algeciras or Nador → Almería.

Quality control of tomato at origin

Our inspectors check each pallet in the store before it goes onto the truck. The check is made against a written specification, which we agree with you before the first load. This is what is checked for tomato:

• Size: sampling with a gauge per box; uniformity within the box according to class.
• Colour: ripeness stage with a colour chart. For destinations 4–5 days away, fruit is loaded less ripe than for Spain.
• Firmness and defects: soft fruit, splitting, bruises, scars, rots, insect damage and, on the vine, the condition of the stem.
• °Brix: for cherry and specialities, against the minimum set in your specification.
• Pulp temperature: with a probe, in several boxes of the pallet, before loading.
• Packing and labelling: net weight, origin and class marking, pallet label and traceability back to the farm.

Before departure you receive a photo report for each pallet: overall view, open box, fruit cut, size reading and pulp temperature. Each trailer carries a temperature logger. If a pallet does not meet the spec, it is replaced or reclassified before loading, not at destination. More detail on our quality control at origin page.

Costs and price of Moroccan tomatoes delivered

The price of Moroccan tomato changes each week with supply from Souss, European demand and the weather. That is why we do not publish fixed figures in this guide. You can find updated prices per pallet on our tomato and vegetable prices from Morocco, wholesale page.

The delivered cost (DAP) is made up of:

With a 6 kg box and 160 boxes per pallet (about 960 kg net), transport per kilo drops a lot as soon as the pallet is full. Cherry in punnets has fewer kilos per pallet, so freight weighs more per kilo. For a fixed quote, request an offer from our sales team.

Common mistakes when importing tomatoes from Morocco

1. Loading tomato with soft fruit or beans. At 0–4 °C tomato suffers chilling injury. It requires the cool lane.
2. Asking for the same colour for every destination. For Germany, 5 days away, tomato must leave less ripe than for Madrid.
3. Not setting the final customer’s residue requirements. Meeting the legal MRL is not enough if the chain requires a third of the MRL. Pass it in writing before planting or, at the least, before the first order.
4. Forgetting the EUR.1 or a properly completed origin declaration. Without valid proof of origin the tariff preference is lost.
5. Ignoring the entry price. Declaring values below the threshold can generate an additional specific duty and later customs reviews.
6. Labelling cherry from the Dakhla area as “Morocco”. Since 2025 the origin must be indicated separately.
7. Building the truck with courgette or cucumber next to ripe tomato. Ethylene turns courgette and cucumber yellow within a few days.

Planning to import more products? See all our guides to importing fruit and vegetables from Morocco.

Frequently asked questions about importing tomatoes from Morocco