Spain produced more than 1.5 million tons of pepper in the 2023/24 campaign, according to the progress of the Ministry of Agriculture. Despite this volume, during the first half of 2026, Spanish companies imported 83.34 million kilos of this vegetable. Of them, 79.01 million arrived from Morocco, the 94.81% of the total.
The import figures come from the records of Estacom, the ICEX statistical service and the Tax Agency, for the tariff code 070960. The value of purchases from Morocco amounted to 116.33 million euros, with an average price of 1.47 euros per kilo. For all imports, the disbursement was 125.68 million, at an average of 1.51 euros per kilo.
Morocco has gained weight as a supplier
The comparison with 2017 shows the increase in purchases from this country. In the first six months of that year, Spain imported 33.74 million kilos of Moroccan pepper. In the same period of 2026 there were 79.01 million, a growth of 134.15%.
The total volume of imported pepper also grew in that decade. It went from just over 37 million kilos in the first half of 2017 to 83.34 million in 2026, an increase of 120.25%, according to data compiled by Hortoinfo. Morocco’s advance was, therefore, greater than that of all imports.
France and Portugal appear far behind. France sold 1.13 million kilos to Spain between January and June 2026, 1.36% of the total; Portugal, 941,033 kilos, 1.13%. No other supplier came close to Moroccan volume in that period.
Production and imports correspond to different periods
The national production figure refers to the 2023/24 campaignwhile imports correspond only to the first six months of 2026. They are different periods and do not allow a direct comparison of the Spanish harvest with purchases abroad in that semester.
The data show the weight of Morocco among the pepper suppliers from Spainbut they do not explain on their own why companies resort to imports or what varieties, qualities or commercial destinations these products have.