The lack of supply of Moroccan tomatoes in the UK has greatly affected market stalls in the country. On social networks, several British citizens have shared photos of empty shelves in supermarkets.
The UK vegetable market is apparently experiencing a tomato shortage. Considered as the main suppliers of tomatoes to the United Kingdom, Morocco and Spain are cited by British professionals as the source of these shortages, which they attribute to a lack of national production observed recently or to other conditions. .
Specialized in the agricultural field, the website ” Fruitnet reports that there are major problems with the supply of Moroccan tomatoes in the UK, according to importers who fear a national shortage, but also according to citizens, who have widely shared on social networks, photos of empty shelves in many supermarkets across the site, points out the site.
” The availability of our range of tomatoes was significantly affected by adverse weather conditions in Spain and Morocco. The current shortage should improve within a few weeks“, can we read in a photo shared on social networks, of a shelf in a supermarket in the United Kingdom.
The reasons for this drop in the supply of tomatoes from Morocco, is explained by this specialized site “by the weather conditions.
” In the North African country, farmers and suppliers have had to deal with a “perfect storm” of cold temperatures, heavy rains, floods and canceled ferries for three to four weeks, which have severely affected the volume of vegetable imports reaching the UK “, noting that ” bad weather in Spain and Morocco, where most of the tomatoes come from, affects supplies“.
Other sources have attributed the current shortage of tomatoes in the UK to high energy costs, believing that ” tomato growers find it difficult to heat their greenhouses because of the cost“.
British Tomato Growers Association spokeswoman Julie Woolley told The Grocer: “ Wholesale gasoline prices affect all growers, and tomato availability is a global issue“.
Inflation also in other regions has hit tomato growers hard, said Phillip Morley, horticulturist explaining that “Rising fuel costs have now led to higher transportation costs. Costs of other inputs such as seed, fertilizer and fodder have also increased by 100-400% “.
The National Farmers Union has confirmed that these issues are currently affecting all UK fruit and vegetable growers, not just tomato growers.
It should be noted that trade relations between Morocco and the United Kingdom improved significantly after Brexit. The volume of bilateral trade amounted to 22.9 billion dirhams last year.
According to a statement released at the second session of the Moroccan-British Partnership Council, held on Thursday, trade increased by around 50%, from 15.3 billion dirhams in 2019 to 22.9 billion dirhams a year. last.