The actors of the Moroccan tomato industry gathered yesterday in Agadir for the fifth edition of the Morocco Tomato Conference organized by GreenSmile. Over 600 participants attended the day-long event dedicated to the Moroccan tomatos, including 200 international participants from 20 countries and 54 exhibitors.

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This year’s edition takes place in a special context, as the sector continues to face the hazards of ToBRFV, while growers are still reluctant to adopt new resistant varieties. The climate, always an ally of Moroccan growers, is becoming a risk factor as the country endures its seventh consecutive year of drought. The growth in volumes of Moroccan tomatoes exported to Europe shows that the Moroccan product is adopted by the market, yet it is also met by opposition from growers’ associations in Spain and France, leading to episodes of tension. In addition, the European Court of Justice has invalidated trade agreements with Morocco on agricultural and fishery products, raising questions about tomatoes grown in the Moroccan Sahara.

Siham Zahidi, co-founder of GreenSmile, said that in the run-up to this year’s MTC, the main concerns raised by industry players in Morocco were still around the phytosanitary situation, and in particular ToBRFV. This was reflected throughout the day, as several seed breeders presented new resistant varieties, as well as other proposed solutions, such as virus detectors and disinfectants. According to several participants, ToBRFV is now an accepted reality for Moroccan growers.

The MTC began with a presentation on the global dynamics of tomato exports, with a spotlight on the British market, where Moroccan origin has become the most present in terms of volume. Subsequent presentations and discussions focused on growing issues, such as greenhouses adapted to the Moroccan economic model and climate, water management and phytosanitary control, particularly against ToBRFV.

Then, for the first time, the MTC’s works were divided into thematic workshops. The first workshop was devoted to labor and farmworkers, another area in which Moroccan growers start to face difficulties, particularly in the soft fruit sector, where the lack of manpower even limits the area planted. Subsequent workshops focused on greenhouse design and management, as well as digital solutions in agriculture.

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