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Rabat- The United States and Europe are imposing economic penalties on Moscow for not doing enough to keep tensions in Ukraine in check.
Morocco may benefit from these sanctions by boosting its presence in the Russian Market.
There’s a chance that Moscow will turn to Moroccan agricultural exports in order to replace Europe’s agricultural exports to Russia, which have been sanctioned due to the ongoing Russian-European tension. Russia’s Minister of Agriculture announced Moscow’s intention to issue a ministerial decree in order to import vegetables and fruits and some other food products from Morocco, according to Manarplus. Some Moroccan economists said that the Russian initiative could breathe new life in the Moroccan labor market. The Russian authorities intend to import 10% of their agricultural needs from the Morocco and Egypt, according to Medi1 TV. In particular, Moscow has banned the import of certain food products from Europe, the United States, and other countries in response to economic penalties imposed on Russia. Russia’s interest in the Moroccan agricultural products has been welcomed by the Moroccan Federation of Vegetable and Fruit Exporters. The Federation’s spokesman stated that this decision benefits Morocco, because the Russian market is so large. The Russian initiative will also strengthen the position of the Kingdom in its negotiations with the European Union about Morocco’s decision to modify access price mechanisms for Moroccan fruits and vegetables in the EU. The Federation’s spokesman confirmed that Morocco is able to fulfill the needs of the Russian market, which are mainly tomatoes, fish products and citrus fruits. Statistics says that the current volume of trade between Morocco and Russia is around $2.5 million. Experts say the Russian initiative will boost bilateral trade between Morocco and Russia and create more job opportunities in Morocco. However, this decision may influence Moroccan ties with Europe. Alquds reported that the European Union allegedly discouraged Morocco and several countries and trade groups in South America from stepping in to replace Europe’s banned agricultural exports to Russia.