In the first four months of 2026, Spain imported 10,384.7 tonnes of olive oil from Morocco, up from just 103 tonnes in the same period of 2025. That is a 9,979% increase, according to DataComex, the Spanish trade statistics office. The figure is accurate, but it requires context to interpret correctly.
The percentage is inflated by the low baseline: when starting from 103 tonnes, even a moderate absolute increase produces an enormous relative jump. The value of those imports rose from €340,000 to €32.76 million, a 9,535% rise. Yet Moroccan oil still accounts for only 7.48% of Spain's total olive oil imports, up from 2.01% a year earlier. Spain's own production for the 2025-2026 season is estimated at 1.295 million tonnes, dwarfing the Moroccan volume.
Why Moroccan olive oil is flowing into Spain
The surge is driven by a strong Moroccan harvest. The Moroccan Interprofessional Olive Federation estimates production at nearly 200,000 tonnes for 2025-2026, more than double the previous year, as olive groves recover from several years of drought. Lower prices, supported by preferential trade terms the European Union grants to Morocco, have also made Moroccan oil competitive.
Meanwhile, Spanish production is forecast to decline by 9% from the previous season, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. That shortfall has opened the door to more imports. Across the EU, purchases of Moroccan olive oil rose by 712.6% between October 2025 and March 2026, though Tunisia remains the dominant non-EU supplier, accounting for 81% of such imports.
The trade relationship between Spain and Morocco has reversed. In early 2025, Spain sold 2,721 tonnes of olive oil to Morocco; in the same period of 2026, that fell to 673.72 tonnes, a drop of 75.2%. In value, Spanish exports fell from €11.11 million to €2.44 million. Spain now buys more from Morocco than it sells.
Morocco is not alone in the Spanish market
In the first two months of 2026, Spain imported 39,624.61 tonnes of olive oil in total. Morocco ranked fourth among suppliers, behind Tunisia (15,861.10 tonnes), Portugal (13,174.47 tonnes), and Italy (4,257.19 tonnes). Tunisia remains Spain's largest external supplier, with a volume four times that of Morocco over the same period.
At the European level, the pattern is similar. Between October 2025 and March 2026, EU imports of Moroccan oil rose from 1,269 to 10,312 tonnes, a 712.6% increase. Yet Tunisia still supplies 81% of all olive oil the EU buys from third countries. The European Commission also notes steep declines from other traditional suppliers: Turkey (-95.1%), Syria (-83.1%), and Argentina (-53.4%). Morocco's advance is part of a broader redistribution of suppliers, not a takeover.
The data point to a real shift in trade flows between Spain and Morocco, but one that remains modest in absolute terms. Moroccan oil is not replacing Spanish production; it is filling a temporary gap. The story is one of recovery and competition, not domination.
