Between greenhouse destruction, climate incidents, disease pressure, logistical bottlenecks, and restrictions on exports, growers are under mounting strain, according to Zakaria Hanich, president of the Federation of Fruit and Vegetable Producers and Exporters (FIFEL).
Late February storms, followed by episodes of strong winds in April and May, left widespread destruction across the growing region, but rebuilding has progressed significantly, according to Hanich. The newly elected industry representative says, “Reconstruction of the greenhouses destroyed at the end of February has advanced considerably. That progress has come at a cost, as the prices of plastic film, other materials, and labor were extremely high. Not all growers have moved at the same pace. Some are waiting for the cost of seasonal labor to ease. The cost of plastic has already dropped by two-thirds of its increase since February, but it still remains higher than last year.”
As progress is made on rebuilding the greenhouses, Hanich is ruling out the eventuality of a delayed start to the next season: “Customers and consumers won’t wait. There may be a slight shift, but no significant delay in the launch of the next cycle as the area under greenhouses is being recovered progressively.”
Beyond the structural damage, the 2025/2026 season itself has been harsh on growers, according to Hanich. “It has been very difficult. Climate incidents compounded the pressure throughout the campaign. The third part of the season was particularly disappointing. Downy mildew and ToBRFV hit hard; While the industry has developed resistant varieties, yields of said resistant varieties are low, as low as 150 tonnes per hectare, sometimes even 100 to 120 tonnes. The direct consequence is a squeeze on margins, as lower yields mean higher production costs. We are at 5-6 dirhams to grow one kilogram of tomatoes.”
Getting the product to market has been its own battle. “Logistics have been very difficult, with blockages at the ports of Tanger Med and Algeciras, resulting in quality issues and penalties at the arrival of shipments,” Hanich adds.
This combination of factors is reshaping growing decisions. Many growers, especially small-scale growers who have greater flexibility, have already shifted from tomatoes to peppers or berries. Hanich says, “There is a growing trend toward switching to pepper production because of the difficulties in tomatoes. “The situation is evolving, and the change in acreage cannot yet be precisely quantified.”
This contraction will have repercussions beyond the export sector. “Supply gaps in the domestic market will become more frequent,” the growers’ representative warns. “The economics of selling locally have changed significantly, while consumers have no idea how difficult it is to supply the market with tomatoes. Simply put, the selling price on the local market is lower than the cost of production, given all the factors we have to manage and the unfavorable weather and phytosanitary conditions.”
Against this backdrop, Hanich is calling for intervention. “We have asked the government for more support for growers in this vulnerable sector. The pressure on growers is enormous. We need growers to stay in this industry, and they have shown that they are willing to make sacrifices to remain in this sector, which took a great deal of effort to build. For example, we consider export restrictions to be a measure that is both punitive and ineffective. Furthermore, growers urgently need government support in the form of production subsidies. The tomato industry was already fragile a few years ago; now the complexity has doubled.”
According to a recent report presented by Ali Rougui, head of business intelligence at Morocco Foodex, at the Morocco Tomato Conference 2026, the volume of Moroccan tomatoes exported in 2025-26 fell by 11% compared to the previous season (549,000 tonnes versus 620,000 tonnes). Exports of round tomatoes fell by 15%, and those of segment tomatoes by 8% compared to the previous season. The decline in exports affects all markets for Moroccan tomatoes, amounting to 12% in Europe and the UK.