Moroccan Watermelon Prices Skyrocket, Becoming Unaffordable Luxury

Watermelons, alongside avocados, are now among the most expensive fruits on the Moroccan market, warns the newspaper Assabah. Consumers are faced with exorbitant prices, preventing them from buying a whole watermelon, while a few years ago, tons of watermelons were thrown away because the price was too low.

In supermarkets, prices can reach up to 300 dirhams for a high-quality watermelon from Zagora. This situation is all the more worrying for many workers, as the cost of a watermelon is equivalent to three days’ salary, or 100 dirhams per day, explains the newspaper.

This situation contrasts with the severe criticism that watermelons had been the target of the previous year, particularly those from Zagora. Alarmist statements from a preacher had cast doubt on the health safety of watermelons, leading to harmful consequences for farmers and sellers.

This price surge could also find its origins in the measures taken by the authorities to regulate the cultivation of watermelons, due to the scarcity of rainfall, the depletion of water resources and the drop in the groundwater level, resulting in a reduction in the area devoted to watermelon cultivation, creating an imbalance between supply and demand for this fruit.