In recent years, Morocco has greatly expanded its footprint in the Polish greenhouse tomato market, establishing itself as a notable trendsetter. Over the past three years, annual direct imports of tomatoes from Morocco to Poland have varied between 30,000 and 36,000 tons. Notably, in the first half of this year, Moroccan tomatoes achieved a record presence in the Polish market.
Last year, direct imports of greenhouse tomatoes from Morocco to Poland reached about 30,000 tons, slightly down from the 2021-2022 figures due to weather challenges, yet still double the volume seen in 2019. This year, thanks to a rebound in Morocco’s greenhouse industry, exporters have already shipped a record 22,000 tons of tomatoes directly to Poland from January to June. Given that a significant portion of Moroccan products is traded through Spain, Germany, France, and the Netherlands, their actual presence in the Polish market has increased even more significantly.
Despite the growth of domestic greenhouse vegetable production, Poland became the eighth largest importer of greenhouse tomatoes globally in 2023. Within Europe, only Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Russia, and the Netherlands import more tomatoes than Poland. The volume of imports by Polish companies reached a record 216,000 tons in 2023. In the first half of this year, import growth accelerated, with Poland acquiring a record 152,000 tons of greenhouse tomatoes from international markets, representing a 15% increase compared to January-June 2023. Overall, total tomato imports in Poland have risen by a third over the past five years.
The vast majority of greenhouse tomatoes in Poland—92-95%, depending on the year—come from just five countries: the Netherlands, Turkey, Spain, Morocco, and Germany. Turkey emerged as a key supplier only in 2023, driven by weather issues in Spain and Morocco that led to a significant price drop during the peak supply period. However, Turkish suppliers were unable to fully replace Spanish and Moroccan products, as Turkey primarily provided red round tomatoes.
While Morocco is represented in Poland with red round and plum tomatoes, it primarily focuses on various types of cherry tomatoes. According to Polish importers, Morocco has established itself as a true trendsetter in the cherry tomato segment, offering a range of products including standard round cherry tomatoes, cherry plum tomatoes, cherry datterini tomatoes, cherry mixes, and tomatoes on the vine. Furthermore, Polish buyers in the HoReCa sector largely follow the standards set by Moroccan suppliers in this category.
