Morocco Overtakes Italy as Second-Largest Watermelon Supplier to EU Market

In 2022, Moroccan watermelon sales to EU member states increased by 81.74% with 121.83 million more kilos, while Italian sales, which have been declining since 2020, reached a decrease of 16.27%, or a drop of 43.89 million kilograms, reports Hortoinfo. Morocco thus surpasses Italy and becomes the second largest supplier to the EU. Italy is thus ranked third.

Last year, watermelon sales on the European Union (EU) markets fell by 1.1% compared to 2019, from 1,726.04 to 1,707.06 million kilograms at the end of 2022. This decline is explained by the drop in Spanish watermelon sales in Europe for four consecutive years, which fell by 22.98% compared to 2019, or 156.67 million fewer kilograms.