How to import clementines and mandarins from Morocco

At a glance

Season calendar for clementines and mandarins from Morocco

The Moroccan small citrus season lasts about six months. It starts with early clementines in October and ends with Nadorcott mandarins in April. The windows in the table reflect what we loaded in the 2025/26 season and can move forward or back by one or two weeks depending on the autumn.

Check each week’s status in the calendar on the Moroccan clementine product page and on the Nadorcott mandarin product page.

Growing regions and varieties of clementine and mandarin in Morocco

Moroccan clementines and mandarins come from four areas, each with its own window. The full map is on our regions of origin in Morocco page.

Berkane (Oriental)

Historic clementine land, near the Mediterranean. The cool winter gives good colour and thin skin. We load in Berkane and cross via Nador → Almería, the shortest route to Valencia, Barcelona and southern France.

Souss-Massa (Agadir)

The largest export region in the country. It produces clementines and most of the Nadorcott mandarin. The warmer climate brings forward internal maturity, but colour arrives later. We load in Agadir and cross via Tanger Med → Algeciras.

Gharb (Kénitra) and Haouz (Marrakech)

Gharb supplies mid-season clementines (loaded in Kénitra). Haouz adds late mandarins (loaded in Marrakech).

Varieties we import

Nadorcott can have seeds due to cross-pollination. If your customer requires seedless fruit, we check it at origin by cutting fruit.

EU import requirements for clementines and mandarins from Morocco

Citrus fruit has its own phytosanitary requirements, entry price and specific marketing standard. All sources in this section were accessed on 18/10/2026.

1. Phytosanitary certificate and border checks

• Citrus fruit from third countries needs a phytosanitary certificate to enter the EU (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072, Annex XI). In Morocco it is issued by the ONSSA after inspecting the consignment.
• On arrival, the importer or their agent presents the common health entry document for plants (CHED-PP) in TRACES. The border control post (Algeciras or Almería on our routes) carries out documentary and identity checks and, according to the applicable frequency, physical checks.
• Annex VII of the same regulation sets special requirements for Citrus fruit against quarantine pests such as Phyllosticta citricarpa (black spot), Thaumatotibia leucotreta (false codling moth), Xanthomonas citri and Pseudocercospora angolensis. Depending on the country, they are met as a pest-free country or area, with a systems approach or with cold treatment.
• Clementine with leaves: Annex VII of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072 requires Citrus fruit from third countries to arrive without stalks or leaves and with origin marked on the packaging.

2. Preferential origin: EUR.1 and the EU–Morocco agreement

Moroccan clementine enters with a tariff preference thanks to the EU–Morocco Association Agreement and its 2012 agricultural liberalisation agreement (Decision 2012/497/EU). To apply the preference, the consignment must be accompanied by proof of origin: an EUR.1 movement certificate or an origin declaration by the exporter, as applicable. Without proof of origin the third-country tariff is paid. Check current duties in TARIC and in Access2Markets.

3. Quota and entry price

• Clementine is subject to the EU entry price regime in its import window from 1 November to the end of February.
• Within the quota, if the entry price of the consignment is equal to or above the agreed price, the specific duty is zero. If it is 2, 4, 6 or 8 % lower, the specific duty is that same percentage of the agreed price. Below 92 %, the WTO-bound specific duty applies.

4. Maximum residue levels (MRLs)

Pesticide residues must respect the MRLs of Regulation (EC) No 396/2005. Citrus fruit usually receives fungicides and post-harvest waxes. Check each active substance in the EU pesticides database and request multi-residue analysis of the lot. If your chain applies stricter limits, state it in the order.

5. Marketing standard

• Citrus fruit has a specific standard in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2429, applicable from 1 January 2025. It sets classes (Extra, I and II), minimum maturity, sizes and marking.
• Maturity: the standard requires a minimum juice content and, for mandarins, a minimum sugar/acid ratio.
• Marking: the packaging must state any preservatives or other chemical substances applied after harvest, where applicable.
• Conformity checks in Morocco are carried out by EACCE.

For the rest of the customs process, see our general guide to importing fruit and vegetables from Morocco into the EU.

Logistics: temperature, mixed loads and truck type

Temperature lane

Clementines and mandarins travel in the cool lane, with a set point of 5–8 °C and 85–90 % relative humidity. Below 3–4 °C for several days, skin chilling injury (pitting) appears. Above 10 °C, dehydration and Penicillium rot accelerate.

Compatibility in mixed loads

Shared truck, full load or container

• Shared truck (groupage): from 1 pallet. Ideal for trying Nadorcott or completing a load with orange and avocado. Weekly departures on our shared refrigerated trucks.
• Full load: from about 20–26 pallets, a full truck makes sense. At 100 boxes of 10 kg per pallet, a 26-pallet truck carries about 26 t gross, at the payload limit: confirm before closing.
• Mixed reefer container by sea: useful for stable programmes to Rotterdam and northern Europe, with more transit days. Clementine tolerates it well. Details at full load and mixed container from Morocco.

Indicative transit: 2–3 days to Spain, 4 to France and Italy, and 5 to Germany and Rotterdam.

Quality control at origin

Our team checks each consignment in the store before loading. The full method is at Agro Morocco’s quality control at origin.

What we check

• Size: measured sample against the requested code.
• Colour: percentage of coloured surface and whether the fruit has been degreened.
• Internal maturity: °Brix, acidity, sugar/acid ratio and juice content on a cut sample.
• Defects: puffing (skin separated from pulp), oleocellosis, wind scars, bruising, dry calyx and rot.
• Seeds: count in Nadorcott when the customer asks for seedless fruit.
• Pulp temperature: 5–8 °C before loading.

What the buyer receives

Before departure we send a report with photos of the pallet, opened boxes, cut fruit, refractometer and pulp temperature, with lot and producer. If anything does not meet the spec, we tell you before loading.

Costs and price of Moroccan clementines delivered

Clementine prices change each week with variety, size and competition from Spain. Here we break down the cost without giving fixed prices.

We normally work DAP to your market, with a final price per pallet. FCA at the loading point is possible if you have your own transport. See live wholesale prices for Moroccan clementines or request an offer via contact.

Common mistakes when importing clementines and mandarins from Morocco

1. Buying by colour rather than maturity. An early, degreened clementine can look orange and have little sugar. Ask for °Brix and ratio in the report.
2. Forgetting the entry price. If the declared value of the consignment falls below the agreed entry price, specific duties apply. Check it with your customs agent before invoicing.
3. Shipping without a valid EUR.1. The tariff preference is lost.
4. Ordering clementine with leaves without checking the phytosanitary requirement. Confirm before closing the order to avoid problems at the border control post.
5. Loading with tomato or soft fruit. Incompatible temperatures.
6. Stretching late clementine. In February and March puffing increases. By April, switch to Nadorcott.
7. Not setting the final customer’s residue limit. If they require a percentage of the legal MRL, say so before choosing the producer.

More cases in the guide to importing fruit and vegetables from Morocco by product.

Frequently asked questions about importing clementines from Morocco