Approximately 360 Spanish companies from various sectors have relocated part of their production or expanded operations to Morocco in recent years, according to data from Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX).
The trend is driven by affordable labor costs, attractive tax incentives, and the opportunity to avoid the stringent environmental regulations imposed by the European Green Deal.
Notably, 10% of these companies operate in the agri-food sector, which ICEX highlights as vital to Morocco’s economy.
Agriculture and agro-industry employ about 33% of the workforce and contribute nearly 14% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), playing a crucial role in the nation’s economic framework.
Several factors underpin this shift, including significantly lower labor costs compared to Spain, geographic proximity that reduces lead times, and the advantage of Morocco’s less stringent environmental regulations compared to Europe.
Prominent Spanish food firms such as “Ebro Foods,” “Grupo Borges” and “Juver” have capitalized on the advantages Morocco has to offer.
Juver, for example, has utilized Morocco as a platform to import and distribute products from a major food group in collaboration with other companies.