Farmer protests spread to Spain (French)

Rabat -

A number of Moroccan trucks loaded with agricultural products were disrupted and the goods were destroyed by Spanish farmers who joined the "peasants' revolution" in Europe about two weeks ago, amid a state of recent tension.

The attacks sparked a state of complaint and anxiety among Moroccan international exporters and drivers.

European farmers began widespread protests last January in about 10 countries, rejecting European agricultural policy and expressing their dissatisfaction with unfair competition, high production costs, the tax on tractor fuel, and environmental standards.

Spanish farmers blocked highways with their tractors in a number of cities, causing traffic jams and closing roads.

Video clips spread on social media and published by Spanish newspapers showed groups participating in the protests throwing a truckload of tomatoes coming from Morocco on a road in the city of Cadiz.

The Spanish newspaper Larathon said that the anger of Spanish farmers led them to attack Moroccan trucks, and explained that the protesters are angry at what they call unfair competition from countries whose imports do not meet the same quality standards and use pesticides banned in the European Union in production, according to the newspaper’s description.

The newspaper explained that data from the Spanish Federation of Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Associations showed that between January and September 2023, the European Union imported fruits and vegetables from Morocco worth 1.83 billion euros ($2 billion), making Morocco the main supplier to Europe from outside the Union, followed by South Africa and Peru.

Disable and destroy

The regional secretary of the General Union of Transport Professionals in Morocco, Al-Sharqi Al-Hashimi, told Al-Jazeera Net that the load of about 20 Moroccan trucks was damaged in Spain, while more than 300 trucks were damaged and delayed in delivering their load in a timely manner.

He added, "Trucks were attacked, drivers were forced to open the doors under threats and intimidation, and goods were thrown on the ground in a provocative manner."

He explained that Moroccan trucks were subjected to similar attacks in France, adding, "European farmers have the right to protest and raise demands in the face of their governments, but attacking foreign trucks and throwing their cargo on the ground while they are crossing toward other countries is incomprehensible."

In the face of these attacks, truck drivers took caution and began monitoring the condition of the roads to avoid those witnessing protests.

Al-Hashemi said that the professionals wrote to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Agriculture and Transport to denounce these practices, and requested their intervention to find a solution and protect Moroccan truck fleets.

The Moroccan Confederation of Agriculture and Rural Development (a trade union group) expressed its “deep concern following the repeated and baseless attacks on Moroccan products, as well as the media misrepresentations affecting Moroccan farmers as they are the direct victims of these attacks,” according to a statement.

The Confederation said that the notifications of the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed issued by the European Union during the year 2023 show that Morocco respects European standards for all products in general.

European farmers began widespread protests in 10 countries, rejecting the European (French) agricultural policy.

She added that Morocco ranks third in terms of respect for European standards on the list of the 15 main exporters to the European Union.

The Confederation added that agricultural exchanges between Morocco and the European Union are subject to the requirements of the agricultural agreement that entered into force on October 1, 2012.

Under this agreement, Moroccan exports of agricultural products to the European Union benefit from some tariff concessions, and the same applies to exports of agricultural products from the European Union to Morocco.

In turn, the Souss-Massa Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services expressed its “deep concern about the recent tensions witnessed in the transit of goods between Morocco and the European Union,” and called on all relevant parties to intervene immediately in order to find a solution to this crisis.

She said, "The transit of goods between Morocco and the European Union is currently experiencing serious disruption, as a result of illegal calls made by Spanish and French agricultural associations."

The Chamber indicated that this “incitement” led to the organization of protests and detentions that caused crowding at crossing points, resulting in serious damage to Moroccan carrier companies, and it constitutes a major threat to trade relations between Morocco and the European Union, according to the Chamber of Commerce’s description.

The Chamber called on the Spanish and French authorities to respect their contractual obligations and work to facilitate the movement and transit of goods between the two countries, while ensuring that stable and fair trade conditions are maintained that enhance economic cooperation between the two parties.

Serious repercussions

The head of the Association of Vegetable and Fruit Producers and Exporters in Morocco, Hussein Adour, downplayed the impact of these protests on Moroccan exports.

He told Al Jazeera Net that despite the delay in delivering goods on time, and the destruction of the load of a limited number of trucks, the impact of these practices on Moroccan exports to Europe is “limited,” noting that data from the Export Control and Coordination Foundation showed that their pace has not witnessed a decline in the recent period.

He added, "We coordinate with importers, and when we discover that there is a risk or concern, we can take measures."

For his part, the head of the Moroccan Association of Exporters, Hassan Al-Santisi Al-Idrissi, said that the impact of these protests, “some of which are visible and tangible, and some of which are intangible,” as he put it.

He continued, "The apparent part of these events is that our trucks in Europe are being obstructed and damaged, while the hidden part relates to the trucks that did not go for fear of being attacked."

While he denied that they did not have numbers that reflect the extent of the losses, Al-Santisi warned of dire repercussions if this situation prolonged.

The same spokesman called on the state to intervene by supporting and assisting the private sector to purchase ships to transport Moroccan products towards Europe and avoid the passage of trucks through Spain and France.

Transient crises

The attacks on trucks carrying agricultural products are in addition to other crises experienced by the Moroccan agricultural sector, which is suffering from a drought and declining water resources.

The Kingdom is witnessing another season of drought, as a deficit in rainfall was recorded during the period from September 2023 to mid-January 2024, amounting to 70% compared to the average, according to what the Minister of Equipment and Water announced.

Farmers and exporters are also living under the impact of the decision of the Mauritanian authorities to raise customs tariffs on vegetables and fruits coming from Morocco, which led to the cessation of exports to this country.

Al-Sharqi Al-Hashemi said that the number of trucks transporting agricultural products to Mauritania has decreased by about 95% since the decision was issued.

Economist Mohamed Al-Jadri believes that the crises that the agricultural sector in Morocco is going through are “transient crises.”

He said in an interview with Al Jazeera Net that Spanish farmers and others are trying to pressure their governments and the European Union to reduce Moroccan exports, but he believes that these demands “cannot be achieved, because Europe is in dire need of Moroccan agricultural products.”

Source: Al Jazeera