How to import strawberries from Morocco

At a glance

Strawberry season calendar from Morocco

Export strawberries from Morocco are concentrated in winter and spring. They reach Europe when production in northern Europe has not yet started, and they partly overlap with Huelva. Data for the 2025/26 season, with indicative windows that change each year with rain and temperature.

To compare with the rest of the range, see the calendar on the Moroccan strawberry wholesale product page. If you also load other soft fruit, the Moroccan blueberry window starts later: we explain it in the guide to importing blueberries and raspberries from Morocco.

Growing regions and strawberry varieties in Morocco

Loukkos (Larache, Moulay Bousselham)

This is the heart of Moroccan strawberry production. It has a mild Atlantic climate, sandy soils and water from the Loukkos irrigation perimeter. Most of the fresh export area is concentrated here. We load in Larache, a few hours from Tanger Med, which shortens the time between harvest and crossing.

Souss-Massa (Agadir, Chtouka)

Greenhouse and macro-tunnel production further south. It provides early fruit and complements Loukkos when the weather is unstable in the north. We load in Agadir, a few more hours’ drive from the port.

Varieties

• Fortuna type (early): conical fruit, intense red colour, good firmness for travel. Dominant from November to February.
• Mid-season varieties: larger size and production in March and April.

More detail on each area, its loading points and calendar is on the regions of origin in Morocco page.

EU import requirements for strawberries from Morocco

All sources in this section were accessed on 18/10/2026. Rules change; always confirm with your customs agent before each season. The general explanation is in our guide to importing fruit and vegetables into the EU.

1. Phytosanitary certificate

Fresh strawberries need a phytosanitary certificate issued by ONSSA to enter the EU. Only five fruits are exempt (pineapple, banana, coconut, durian and date), and strawberry is not one of them. Source: European Commission, plant trade with third countries. Issuing body at origin: ONSSA.

2. Border checks (TRACES / CHED-PP)

On arrival at Algeciras or Almería, the importer or their representative pre-notifies the consignment in TRACES with a CHED-PP document. The border control post carries out documentary and identity checks and, according to the applicable frequency, physical checks.

3. Preferential origin: EUR.1

The EU–Morocco Association Agreement and its 2012 agricultural protocol allow Moroccan agricultural products to be imported with a preferential tariff if the origin is proven. This is done with an EUR.1 certificate (or EUR-MED / origin declaration where applicable) issued or validated by Moroccan customs. Source: European Commission, rules of origin.

4. Tariffs, quotas and entry price

Strawberry (CN 0810 10 00) is listed among the products with duty-free quotas extended under the agricultural agreement (Decision 2012/497/EU), in force since 1 October 2012. Strawberry is not in the entry price regime, which applies to products such as tomato, courgette or citrus.

5. MRLs for plant protection products

Fruit must comply with the maximum residue levels of Regulation (EC) 396/2005. Check each active substance in the EU Pesticides Database. Many supermarket buyers also require a percentage of the legal MRL and a maximum number of detected active substances; ask for a multi-residue analysis of the lot.

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

Strawberry has a specific marketing standard in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2429. It requires whole, sound, clean fruit, with calyx, free from abnormal external moisture, and in classes Extra, I and II. In Spain, conformity checks at the border are carried out by SOIVRE.

Logistics: refrigerated transport of strawberries

Temperature lane

Strawberries travel in Agro Morocco’s cold lane at 0–2 °C and 90–95 % relative humidity. The cold chain starts in the field: harvesting in the cool of the morning, forced-air pre-cooling in under two hours, and loading with the pulp already at temperature. A pallet that enters the truck warm does not recover during the journey.

Route and transit

From Larache, the fruit crosses via Tanger Med → Algeciras. Indicative door-to-door transit: 2–3 days to Valencia, Madrid or Barcelona; 4 days to Paris, Lyon or Marseille; 5 days to Munich, Frankfurt or Rotterdam. With 5–7 days of shelf life, distant destinations need first-harvest fruit and quick sale.

Compatibility in mixed loads

That is why strawberry combines well with Moroccan green bean imports and Moroccan blueberries and raspberries on the same truck.

Shared truck, full load or container?

• Shared truck (pallet groupage): from 1 pallet of 120 boxes of 8 × 500 g. Ideal for trying a supplier or completing a range. Details on weekly shared trucks from Morocco.
• Full load: from about 26–33 pallets depending on the trailer, for chains and wholesalers with daily rotation. See full load and mixed container.
• Reefer container by sea: poorly suited to strawberry because of its short shelf life; we reserve it for destinations the truck cannot reach within the timeframe.

Quality control of strawberries at origin

The Agro Morocco quality team inspects each lot before closing the truck. What is checked:

• Size and uniformity against the declared class and the customer’s specification.
• Colour: red surface as per the agreed standard, green and fresh calyx.
• °Brix with a refractometer on a sample; reference value agreed with the buyer.
• Defects: bruising, soft fruit, rot (Botrytis), deformities, soil residue and fruit juice exuded into the bottom of the punnet.
• Pulp temperature with a probe on several pallets: the target is 0–2 °C before loading.
• Net weight of punnets and labelling (origin, class, variety if stated, packer).

The buyer receives a report with photos of the full pallet, an open punnet, a cut fruit, probe and refractometer readings, and the truck’s temperature recorder log. This way you know what is arriving before it arrives. More information at quality control at origin.

Costs and price of Moroccan strawberries delivered

The price of Moroccan strawberries moves each week with volume at origin and in Huelva. That is why we do not publish fixed figures in this guide. The delivered cost is made up of:

In small formats the packaging can weigh as much as the fruit itself, so always compare price per net kilo. See live wholesale strawberry prices from Morocco or request an offer via contact.

Common mistakes when importing strawberries from Morocco

1. Buying without confirming pulp temperature at loading. If the fruit is not pre-cooled, the truck will not cool it and it arrives with condensation and mould.
2. Ordering strawberries in May for destinations 5 days away. With the heat, shelf life falls. At the end of the season, closer markets are better.
3. Mixing them with products that produce ethylene or with onion in the same loading space.
4. Forgetting the EUR.1 or issuing it with data that does not match the invoice: the tariff preference is lost.
5. Not requesting residue analysis when your customer works to limits stricter than the legal MRL.
6. Comparing offers by box rather than by net kilo, or by punnet format.
7. Leaving no margin for the border check: a physical inspection at Algeciras can delay delivery by several hours.

For spring mixed loads, also check the guide to Moroccan green beans, wholesale and the rest of the product import guides from Morocco.

Frequently asked questions about importing strawberries from Morocco