How to import blueberries and raspberries from Morocco

At a glance

Blueberry and raspberry season calendar from Morocco

Morocco exports soft fruit in the window when Europe has the least of its own production. Raspberries start before blueberries, and both are concentrated from January to April. Data for the 2025/26 season; exact dates vary with each year’s weather.

You can see each product’s months on the pages for blueberries from Morocco, wholesale and Moroccan raspberries, wholesale. Strawberries overlap in the same winter: we cover them in our guide to importing strawberries from Morocco.

Growing regions and varieties of blueberry and raspberry

Loukkos (Larache, Moulay Bousselham)

Mild Atlantic climate and sandy soils. This is Morocco’s historic soft fruit area and it concentrates blueberry and raspberry production. We load in Larache, the nearest point to Tanger Med.

Gharb (Kénitra)

Fertile plains north of Rabat, where blueberry has grown strongly in recent seasons. We load in Kénitra.

Souss-Massa (Agadir)

Further south and warmer. It brings blueberry and raspberry production forward and extends the season when the north is cold. We load in Agadir.

Varieties

• Blueberry: southern highbush varieties with low chill requirements, many of them licensed.
• Raspberry: remontant varieties that allow autumn and spring harvests in the same cycle.

The areas, their loading points and calendars are set out in regions of origin for Moroccan fruit.

EU import requirements for blueberries and raspberries from Morocco

Sources for this section were accessed on 18/10/2026. Always check the current rules with your customs agent before the season. The general framework is in our guide to importing fruit and vegetables into the EU.

1. Phytosanitary certificate

Fresh blueberries (Vaccinium) and raspberries (Rubus) need a phytosanitary certificate issued by ONSSA. Only pineapple, banana, coconut, durian and date are exempt. Source: European Commission, plant trade with third countries.

2. Border checks (TRACES / CHED-PP)

The importer or their representative pre-notifies the consignment in TRACES with a CHED-PP before arrival at Algeciras or Almería. The border control post carries out documentary, identity and physical checks at the frequency set by the regulation.

3. Preferential origin: EUR.1

To benefit from the preferential tariff of the EU–Morocco Association Agreement, the consignment must carry proof of origin: an EUR.1 certificate (or EUR-MED / origin declaration where applicable). Source: European Commission, rules of origin.

4. Tariffs, quotas and entry price

Blueberry (CN 0810 40) and raspberry (CN 0810 20) are not under the entry price regime. The EU–Morocco agricultural agreement (Decision 2012/497/EU) liberalised much of the fresh fruit trade.

5. MRLs for plant protection products

Residues must comply with Regulation (EC) 396/2005. Check each active substance and crop in the EU Pesticides Database. Soft fruit is often treated against Botrytis, so ask for a multi-residue analysis of the lot. If your customer applies stricter limits than the legal MRL, tell the supplier before the season.

6. Marketing standards (Regulation (EU) 2023/2429)

Blueberries and raspberries have no specific standard in the Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2429. The general marketing standard applies: intact, sound and clean produce, free from abnormal external moisture, of sound, fair and marketable quality, with the country of origin on the label. In Spain, conformity checks are carried out by SOIVRE.

Logistics: refrigerated transport of soft fruit

Temperature lane

Blueberries and raspberries travel in Agro Morocco’s cold lane at 0–1 °C and 90–95 % relative humidity. Forced-air pre-cooling is done within the first hours after harvest. Raspberry is the most delicate product we ship: it is the first onto the truck and the first off in the market.

Route and transit

From Larache or Kénitra the cargo crosses via Tanger Med → Algeciras. Indicative transit: 2–3 days to Valencia, Madrid, Barcelona or Lisbon; 4 days to Paris, Lyon, Marseille or Milan; 5 days to Munich, Frankfurt or Rotterdam. Blueberries, with 2–3 weeks of shelf life, handle distant destinations well. Raspberries, with 3–5 days, need nearby markets or immediate sale.

Compatibility in mixed loads

The usual winter combination is soft fruit with strawberries from Morocco, wholesale and with Moroccan green beans.

Shared truck, full load or container?

• Shared truck: from 1 pallet. A blueberry pallet holds about 220 boxes of 12 × 125 g; a raspberry pallet about 240. This is how the weekly refrigerated groupage from Morocco works.
• Full load: for chains or wholesalers with a stable weekly programme. More in full load and mixed container.
• Reefer container by sea: possible for blueberries to distant destinations, preferably with controlled atmosphere. We do not recommend it for raspberries.

Blueberry and raspberry quality control at origin

Our team checks each lot at the producer’s store before loading.

Blueberry

• Size: 12 mm+ or 16 mm+, depending on the order.
• Colour and bloom: uniform blue, with the natural waxy bloom intact.
• Firmness and dry stem scar.
• °Brix with a refractometer, against the value agreed with the buyer.
• Defects: soft, shrivelled or split fruit, mould, or leftover stems.

Raspberry

• Colour even, without white areas or over-ripe fruit.
• Integrity: whole drupelets, no crushed fruit or juice at the bottom of the tub.
• Mould (Botrytis) and presence of insects.
• °Brix on a sample.

In both cases

• Pulp temperature with a probe: target 0–1 °C before the truck is closed.
• Net weight per tub and labelling with origin.

You receive a report with photos of the pallet, the opened tub, the probe and refractometer readings, and the temperature recorder log. More detail at quality control at origin.

Blueberry and raspberry costs and price from Morocco

Soft fruit prices change every week with the volume from Morocco, Spain, Portugal and the southern hemisphere. We do not give fixed figures here. The delivered cost is made up of:

A soft fruit pallet has a low net weight (about 330–360 kg in 125 g tubs), so transport per kilo is higher than for vegetables. Always compare per net kilo and per format. See live wholesale prices for blueberries and raspberries or request an offer via contact.

Common mistakes when importing blueberries and raspberries from Morocco

1. Treating raspberry like blueberry. Blueberry lasts weeks; raspberry lasts days. Plan raspberry sales before the truck leaves.
2. Breaking the cold chain at unloading. A few minutes on a warm dock create condensation and mould within 24 hours.
3. Stacking raspberry boxes higher than recommended or loading the pallet badly: the fruit is crushed and leaks.
4. Loading with products that produce ethylene or that travel at higher temperatures, such as avocado or melon.
5. Forgetting the EUR.1 or having data that does not match the invoice.
6. Not specifying blueberry size (12 mm+ or 16 mm+) or minimum °Brix in the order.
7. Comparing price per box without considering tub weight and net weight per pallet.

See also the other guides to importing fruit and vegetables from Morocco.

Frequently asked questions about importing blueberries from Morocco