How to import courgettes from Morocco

At a glance

Courgette season calendar from Morocco

Moroccan courgettes fill the European winter. They are grown under greenhouse in the Souss, where mild temperatures allow production without heating. The window almost exactly matches the period of the EU preferential quota. Data for the 2025/26 season.

For weekly programmes, fix volume and size before October. See month-by-month availability on the Moroccan courgette wholesale product page.

Growing regions and courgette varieties in Morocco

Export courgettes come from Souss-Massa, Morocco’s largest vegetable region. We describe it alongside the other five in regions of origin in Morocco.

Souss-Massa (Agadir, Chtouka)

Greenhouses between the Atlas and the Atlantic. Mild winters, plenty of light and drip-irrigation water. The short distance from farms to packing stations allows courgettes to be cooled on the same day as harvest. We load in Agadir.

Commercial types

• Dark green: the standard in Spain, France and Germany. Shiny, uniform skin.
• Light green: in demand in ethnic markets and in the Middle East; also at some French wholesalers.
• Baby courgette: small fruit, sometimes with flower, for foodservice and the premium range. Shorter shelf life.

Sizes

We work with two length ranges: 14–21 cm and 21–30 cm. State the range and the tolerance you accept in your order.

EU import requirements for courgettes from Morocco

Summary of the rules that apply to fresh courgettes (CN 0709 93 10). Accessed: 18/10/2026. Courgette is one of the few vegetables with an entry price regime, so this section matters more than it does for other products.

Phytosanitary certificate

The EU requires a phytosanitary certificate for all fresh fruit and vegetables from third countries, except pineapple, coconut, durian, banana and date. Courgette is not exempt. ONSSA issues it before loading. Source: Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072, Art. 72 and Annex XI and European Commission (accessed 18/10/2026).

Border checks (CHED-PP)

Entry is through the border control post at Algeciras (via Tanger Med) or Almería (via Nador). The importer or their agent presents the CHED-PP in TRACES before arrival.

Quota and entry price

The exchange of notes approved by Decision 2012/497/EU gives Moroccan courgette a tariff quota with a reduced agreed entry price, managed under Implementing Regulation (EU) 812/2012.

• If the entry price of the consignment reaches the agreed price, the specific duty is zero.
• If it is 2, 4, 6 or 8 % below, the specific duty is 2, 4, 6 or 8 % of the agreed price.
• Below 92 % of the agreed price, the WTO-bound specific duty applies, which is much higher.
• Morocco notifies the Commission each month of the quantities of courgette exported.

What it means for the buyer: the value declared at customs matters. A very low sale price in weeks of oversupply can trigger additional duties.

Preferential origin: EUR.1

To use the quota you need proof of Moroccan origin: an EUR.1 certificate or an origin declaration where applicable. Check the conditions in Access2Markets (accessed 18/10/2026). Our courgettes come from Souss-Massa.

Maximum residue levels (MRLs)

MRLs under Regulation (EC) 396/2005 apply, by active substance, in the EU pesticides database (accessed 18/10/2026). ONSSA checks residues before export. We request multi-residue analysis per producer and season, and we adapt the list to your customer’s specifications.

Marketing standards

Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2429 applies the general marketing standard to courgette: whole, sound, clean produce of sound, fair and marketable quality, with the country of origin indicated. In Morocco, EACCE checks the conformity of exports.

Logistics: cold, ethylene and transport type

Courgette is an immature fruit with thin skin. It scratches easily, loses water and reacts badly to both excessive cold and ethylene.

Temperature lane

• Set point of 7–10 °C and relative humidity of 90–95 %, in the cool lane.
• Below about 5 °C, chilling injury appears: pitting of the skin and browning a few days after unloading.
• Above 12 °C it softens and yellows sooner.
• Temperature logger in each trailer and container.

Compatibility in mixed loads

Courgette is sensitive to ethylene, so it is always loaded away from melons and avocados. It combines well with Moroccan sweet pepper, wholesale, which travels at the same temperature, and with cucumber and aubergine. It often shares a truck with Moroccan tomato: tomato travels at 10–13 °C and gives off some ethylene as it ripens, so we set the temperature for the shared stretch and keep the pallets apart.

Shared truck, full load or container

Shared truck departures are weekly, up to daily on demand, with cut-off 48 hours before. Indicative transit: 2–3 days to Spain, 3–4 to France and 5 to Germany.

Quality control at origin

We check each pallet at loading against a single specification per product. Details of the method are at quality control at origin.

What we check on courgette

• Size: length and, if requested, weight per piece; uniformity within the box.
• Colour: uniform for the type, with no yellow or faded areas.
• Firmness: firm from end to end, with no soft areas at the flower end.
• Skin: scratches, abrasions and wind scars; this is the most common defect in courgette.
• Shape: curvature, narrowing, and deformities or mosaic caused by viruses (for example, Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus, ToLCNDV).
• Stem: cleanly cut, without tears.
• Pulp temperature: measured at loading, within the set point.

°Brix is not used as a criterion for courgette.

What you receive

Before the truck leaves you receive photos of the full pallet, of an opened box, of pieces on the size gauge and of the temperature probe. The report includes lot, producer, harvest date, results per control point and logger number.

Courgette costs and price from Morocco

Courgette is one of the most volatile prices in the winter vegetable market. It can change a lot in a week if it is cold in Almería or northern Europe. Check live prices for courgette and other vegetables from Morocco for your loading week.

Components of the delivered cost

1. Product at farm: varies with size, type and week.
2. Packing: 5 kg box, often with a divider or layered placement to protect the skin.
3. Refrigerated transport: per pallet. With about 840 kg net per pallet, freight weighs quite a lot per kilo for a medium-value product.
4. Strait crossing: Tanger Med → Algeciras or Nador → Almería ferry.
5. Customs and border: clearance, phytosanitary inspection and, if the entry price is not met, specific duties.

Under DAP you receive a final price per pallet in your market. Under FCA you buy at our loading point and arrange transport yourself.

Common mistakes when importing courgettes

1. Ignoring the entry price. Buying very cheaply in weeks of oversupply can prove expensive at customs if the declared value falls below the agreed threshold.
2. Not allowing for the 20 April close. Consignments arriving after that date no longer benefit from the quota.
3. Loading it next to melon or avocado. Ethylene turns it yellow and softens it within a few days.
4. Cooling it like green beans or soft fruit. Below 5 °C chilling injury shows up after unloading, in your warehouse.
5. Ordering a size without tolerance. In March the fruit grows very fast; set a range, a tolerance and an alternative if it goes over size.
6. Accepting overfilled boxes. Tightly packed courgette scratches and loses presentation even if it arrives firm.

For the general framework, read the guide to importing fruit and vegetables from Morocco into the EU and the index of product import guides.

Frequently asked questions about importing courgettes from Morocco