Algerian dates in Morocco under surveillance

According to Moroccan professionals in the date sector, Algerian dates contain no pesticides or carcinogenic substances harmful to the health of Moroccans. They are nevertheless calling for caution regarding the quality of this imported product, which is flooding the Moroccan market just a few weeks before the holy month of Ramadan. The National Office for Food Safety (ONSSA) is keeping a close watch and carrying out the necessary checks on imported products, the president of the Federation of Importers of Spices, Dates and Dried Fruits told Hespress.

While regulations require every unit of imported dates weighing less than five kilograms to be packaged, Algerian dates are imported in crates weighing up to 14 kilograms, the official denounced, further revealing the existence of fraud concerning certificates issued by approved packaging units before the shipments leave the port.

To read: Algerian dates blocked at the Moroccan border

The controversy over imports of Algerian dates has revived the debate on the need to strengthen Moroccan date production, in this particular context of severe drought and scarce rainfall. Morocco plans to produce 300,000 tonnes of dates by 2030. The new program contract signed between the government and the National Interprofessional Federation of the Date Sector aims to plant 5 million palm trees, including 3 million in traditional oases, and to increase cultivated areas outside the oases from 14,000 hectares to 21,000 hectares.

For his part, an agronomist specializing in pesticides, fertilizers and agricultural inputs explained that Algerian dates imported into Morocco could contain pesticide residues, stressing that the risks of contamination and spread can be avoided if the ONSSA maintains a certain degree of rigor in inspecting these products. He assured that countries exporting dates to Morocco, such as Tunisia, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, strive to comply with international standards concerning pesticide residues.