The Moroccan government has decided to reduce tomato exports to all foreign destinations through the application of daily export quotas.
Morocco has imposed quotas on tomato exports in a bid to increase local supplies and reduce prices ahead of Ramadan. Rising input prices, pests and recurring droughts have combined to hamper production in the world's fourth-largest tomato shipper. But restrictions on Moroccan packing houses could exacerbate product shortages, a situation that has already prompted some European supermarkets to impose rationing.
The decision comes a month before Ramadan, when demand for tomatoes in Morocco's domestic market is strong and prices for fresh produce have risen. The decision will help reduce the price of tomatoes on the local market by more than 50 percent.