Moroccan Watermelon Sales Plummet Amid Social Media Quality Concerns

The controversy over the quality of watermelons produced in Morocco has led to consumer distrust and a drop in demand, despite ONSSA’s assurances. In a press release, the Office stated that "Moroccan watermelon is in compliance with food safety standards and does not contain contaminants". There are no "contaminants in this fruit, namely pesticide residues, heavy metals (lead and cadmium) and bacteria (salmonella and coliforms)", reassures ONSSA after analyzing several samples.

As a result, the price per kilogram of watermelon has dropped significantly, to between 40 and 50 cents of a dirham at the weekly market (souk) of Oulad Al-Nama (Beni Mellal-Khénifra region), while they cost between 1 and 1.10 €/kg on the Rungis or German and European markets.

According to Abdellatif El Smouzy, a watermelon grower in the outskirts of the province of Béni Mellal, this drop in prices is not due to the denigration of watermelon on social networks. "The product fully complies with health and safety standards," says the farmer for whom the drop in prices rather comes from the fact that the quantity on the Moroccan market is higher than the demand. "The availability of abundant production in this particular circumstance is due to the continuous arrival of watermelon from Zagora on local markets in addition to the local product," he confides to Hespress.

Youssef El Omari, one of the professionals in the sale of watermelon on the local markets of Fkih Ben Saleh, specifies for his part that this drop is unprecedented. According to him, the watermelon trade is no longer profitable and does not currently allow to cover the costs related to its cultivation and transport. This arouses the anger of some farmers who call on the authorities to take their responsibilities in order to allow the professionals of the region to improve their income, after several months of cessation of activities due to the health crisis.