Morocco has launched its first food and drink export campaign in the UK with the aim of encouragingBritish businesses and consumers to explore its food products, as well as promoting its offering as a "quicker, reliable and credible trading alternative". According to Eurofruit, the campaign marks the beginning of a wider awareness initiative to promote the quality and importance of Moroccan agriculture. The campaign will also be supported by an experiential food sampling campaign across London. Since Brexit, trade with the UK has become increasingly difficult for EU exporters due to all the customs formalities. This could be a reason for shifting import flows towards the Moroccan seller. For example, the Moroccan tomato exports have remained unchanged. Tomato farmers are increasingly specializing in the popular cherry tomatoes. Harvesting tomatoes in Morocco is significantly cheaper compared to European countries. These factors make Morocco an increasingly important competitor in the British tomato market. The Moroccan agri-food commercial campaign highlights the importance of Moroccan agriculture and food products to the British consumers. Morocco has remained true to its marketing strategy, focusing on the quality and diversity of its food and drink sector, its sustainable farming practices, competitive prices and reliability of the logistics involved in the transport of goods between the two kingdoms.
The Association Agreement between Morocco and the UK, aiming to preserve bilateral partnerships after Brexit, entered into force on January 1, 2021. This bilateral agreement maintains all the benefits that the two countries accorded to each other under the Morocco-EU Association Agreement, and now Rabat and London are exploring ways to push economic and trade relations further. Moroccan and British parties welcomed the upcoming entry in the wake of the agreement, saying the document will constitute a guarantee to Moroccan and British companies that undertake economic and trade relations in all sectors of cooperation. Investment relations will also continue, with the Morocco-UK Association Agreement providing reciprocal protection for investors. Bilateral trade between Morocco and the UK was valued at £1.6 billion (MAD 19.8 billion) during the four quarters towards the end of Q3 2020, according to the UK’s Department for International Trade, and the association agreement serves as the first step for growth in bilateral cooperation. With the opening of a new direct shipping route between Tangier in Morocco and Poole in the UK, three to six days are expected to be cut from the transit time between Morocco and the UK, while simultaneously reducing emissions.
History and Future of Moroccan-British Trade
The special relationship between Morocco and the UK dates back over 800 years and it continues to improve every year. Morocco World News interviewed Vlada Shilina, Deputy Director of the British Department of International Trade in Morocco, regarding the Moroccan-British trade relations. Shilina told MWN that “the 300th anniversary celebration marks a truly remarkable milestone for the bilateral cooperation of the two countries,” adding that “the 1721 treaty has set the legal framework of the economic exchange between the two kingdoms. And now, we have a real opportunity to take our economic and trade relations to a new level.” “Post Brexit association with Morocco is essential, and we aim to fully develop this historic partnership, for the benefit of both countries,” says the deputy director. Elaborating on the UK Ambassador Martin Simon’s recent statements on the historic trading partnership linking both Morocco and the UK, Vlada said that “this is a truly exciting time for trade and investment for both countries across various sectors, starting with agriculture.” When asked about the most promising vectors for cooperation, Vlada Shilina clarified that “as previously mentioned, the embassy is planning a series of events to highlight various economic times, today’s event is specifically geared toward agriculture, as it constitutes one of the most pillars of economic bilateral Morocco UK cooperation.” Shilina offered some interesting statistics to MWN audience, reflecting the depths and intricacy of agricultural Moroccan-British cooperation, saying “foods and vegetable are the number one good being imported to the UK from Morocco, amounting to £246 million.” The deputy highlighted that the aforementioned number has grown exponentially since December 2020, adding that “every meal in the UK has a strong Moroccan touch to it, considering 25% of tomatoes consumed in the UK are from Morocco, 20 % of soft foods available in the UK are of Moroccan provenance, in addition to an astounding 60% of consumed sardines, coming from Morocco as well.”