Fruit and Vegetable Prices Surge in Mauritania as Morocco Border Closure Disrupts Supply

Morocco, the country of origin of these products, has been inaccessible since the closure by the Polisario Front three weeks ago of Guergarate, the only crossing point between the two countries. As a result, the price of a kilogram of carrots, which cost 700 CFA francs, is now sold for 3,000 CFA francs, reports Rfi.fr, specifying that the picture is the same for fruits. Dozens of Moroccan trucks heading for Mauritania and other West African countries had to turn back, to the detriment of importers in the destination countries.

"I was waiting for a truck loaded with vegetables that I had chartered from Morocco. Finally, it was immobilized in Moroccan territory after the border was blocked. (...) The value of the order represents between 5 and 6 million ouguiyas (about 14,000 euros)," says Khadija, a Mauritanian importer who has been in difficulty since then.

Hamid el Aid, a consumer from Nouakchott, confirms: he found the products offered very expensive, adds the same source, stating that this situation is due to the rising tensions between Morocco and the Polisario.