On Wednesday, March 26, the European Parliament hosted the "Strengthening European food sovereignty: what are the priorities?" conference, which MEPs Esther Herranz García, Eric Sargiacomo, and Elsi Katainen organized. At the conference, José María Pozancos, the head of Fepex, stressed that reforming import prices was a priority to protect European tomato producers and food sovereignty.
The tomato sector has lost a lot of competitiveness in the last ten years. On the one hand, production and exports have decreased. Since 2014, tomato production in Spain has fallen by 30%, and exports have declined by 43%, from 786,598 tons in 2014 to 448,004 tons in 2023. At the same time, imports from third countries to the EU, especially from Morocco, have increased. During the same period, EU imports of Moroccan tomatoes increased by 42%, from 345,416 tons in 2014 to 491,908 tons in 2023, according to Eurostat data.
According to Fepex, Spanish tomatoes are being pushed out of the market, mainly because import prices, set in the EU Association Agreement with Morocco, don't protect the Community market as they should, and have become obsolete, boosting imports.
The standard import price for Moroccan tomatoes has been in force since 2000 and was set at €46.1/100 kg. This price was based on round tomatoes, Morocco's main export product back then. Today, the growing import of other varieties, such as cherry tomatoes, poses a serious threat to the income of European producers, who do not receive direct income support.
Pozancos, therefore, calls for a revision of import prices, with specific rates per tomato variety and a level of protection that matches the cultivation costs. This classification could be divided into whole tomatoes with a diameter of less than 47mm (cherry), vine tomatoes, and other tomatoes (round, pear, etc.).
According to the event organizers, "the horticultural sector is facing more and more climate crises and geopolitical changes. Thus, the economy of producers and our food system as a whole must be strengthened. To do this, it's necessary to improve the EU's food sovereignty, in particular through a reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)."
The three main changes needed are strengthening the position of producers in the value chain, having sufficient crisis management tools available (such as strategic stocks), and protecting growers from dumping and unfair trade practices. Fepex's contribution fell under this third point.
For more information:
Fepex
www.fepex.es