Morocco Defends Watermelon Safety Amid European Concerns

The watermelon produced in Morocco and marketed on the market meets food safety standards. Thus, the information circulating about this fruit is completely false, the minister explained, based on the various analyzes carried out by the National Office of Food Safety (ONSSA), as part of the watermelon monitoring and control plan during the current campaign (year 2021).

These analyzes have shown that the watermelon contains no contaminants, especially pesticide residues, heavy metals (lead and cadmium) and bacteria (salmonella and coliforms). Moreover, the rumors claim a drop in exports due to the quality of the product. But, on June 20, 2021, a tonnage of 218,000 tons of watermelons was exported for the campaign, the equivalent of the tonnage exported last year. "These exports were mainly destined for European Union countries. Moreover, the European surveillance system has not reported any non-compliance on Moroccan watermelon exported over the past 5 years," the ministry stressed.

For information, each year, ONSSA sets up surveillance and control plans for fruits and vegetables, even watermelon, to identify the presence of pesticide residues in these products at the level of agricultural holdings, wholesale markets, large and medium-sized stores and conditioning stations. In addition, imported seeds are subject to systematic technical and phytosanitary control at the borders to verify their compliance with the standards and specifications in force at the national level before being placed on the market. Moreover, "all plant varieties (including seeds) intended for marketing at the national level are previously registered in the official national catalog of cultivable varieties in Morocco, after having met all the necessary conditions," the ministry concluded.