You can share an article by clicking on the share icons at the top right of it. The total or partial reproduction of an article, without the prior written authorization of Le Monde, is strictly prohibited. For more information, consult our general conditions of sale. For any authorization request, contact syndication@lemonde.fr. As a subscriber, you can gift up to five items per month to one of your loved ones using the “Gift an Item” feature. https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/video/2024/06/18/la-face-cachee-des-tomates-marocaines-vendues-en-europe-enquete-video-sur-une-main-d-uvre-a-bas-cout_6241058_3212.html They are very round, very red… and not expensive. In France, Moroccan tomatoes are on average 24% cheaper than the first price of tomatoes grown in France, according to the public organization FranceAgriMer. Erected as a symbol of unfair competition by European farmers at the beginning of 2024, who dumped thousands of them in the parking lots of supermarkets in the south of France and Spain, Moroccan tomatoes continue to cover the shelves. Between 2019 and 2023, exports to the European Union jumped by 25%, making Morocco the second largest supplier to the European bloc, behind the Netherlands. Nearly 500,000 tonnes of tomatoes, mainly cherry, were imported from the Shereef kingdom to Europe in 2023. What is the secret of these cheap tomatoes? And under what conditions are they produced? “Le Monde Afrique” was able to film in the Souss-Massa region, covered by nearly 4,000 hectares of greenhouses, meeting the small hands of a thriving business.
