The UK could continue to see salad and other vegetable shortages “for a few weeks” after Morocco imposed export restrictions on tomatoes, with several large British supermarkets rationing produce.

There have been multiple reports of empty salad shelves and a shortage of staple vegetables, including tomatoes, across the UK in recent weeks. Following Britain’s exit from the European Union in 2020, the country has increasingly relied on North African food exports. For example, Morocco overtook Spain in the second half of 2022 as Britain’s leading international tomato supplier.

Morocco is a key trade partner for the UK. In the year ending in Q3 2022, Morocco imported £1.7 billion ($2.04 billion) in goods to Britain, a 56.5% increase from the previous year, according to the UK Department for International Trade. Nearly £395.3 million ($473.8 milion) of that was vegetables and fruit, which is the top Moroccan export to the UK. 

Over the winter, there were cold snaps in Spain and Morocco, with heavy rain and flooding in the latter. Last month, Morocco imposed quotas on tomato exports to boost local supplies and lower prices ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which will last from March 22 to April 21. Higher input costs for farmers due to inflation — particularly on fertilizer, which has soared in price since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 — have led to increases in fruit and vegetable prices.