The amount of fruits and vegetables imports in Spain coming from neighboring countries - particularly Morocco – is worrying the Spanish Federation of Associations of Producers and Exporters of Fruits and Vegetables, (Fepex), especially since the rise coincides with the Spanish production schedule. Indeed, these exports to Spain increased by 36% in 2017, and by 3% for France, reports Agrocultura, a Catalan portal specialized in ecological production, relayed by La Vanguardia. In fact, FEPEX the value of Moroccan horticultural exports is estimated at 462.3 million Euros. The Federation warned against the «strong and constant» growth of these exports, reaching 117% in the five years : 144,432 tons in 2013; 163,675 in 2014; 199,247 in 2015; 246,349 in 2016 and 314,112 in 2017. In addition to that, the average price of fruits and vegetables coming from Morocco has risen from 1.05 Euros per kilo to 1.50 Euros per kilo over the last five years. This highlights the importation of tomatoes (36.7 million Euros, 59% more than in 2016), pepper (48.6 million, + 41.5%), green beans (108 million, + 1.5%), red fruits and watermelon (33.6 million, + 71.8%) and oranges (22.4%, + 358%).
