Drought-Hit Morocco Sees Watermelon Prices Soar Amid Supply Concerns

These watermelons come from the southern regions, explains Amine Bennani, president of the Moroccan Association of Red Fruit Producers, to SNRTnews, recalling that unlike other regions, farmers in this area are allowed to grow watermelons on a maximum area of one hectare. The fruit was put on the market at this time due to the rise in temperatures in these regions, Bennani added.

The lack of rainfall and successive years of drought have led the authorities in Zagora, for example, to limit watermelon cultivation to a maximum of one hectare. Farmers who do not respect the area set by the authorities face serious penalties. Some have recently seen their fields destroyed. Currently, the price of watermelon would be 43.95 dirhams per kilogram in a Casablanca hypermarket. The time when producers got rid of their production due to too low prices is long gone!