Spanish imports of watermelons from Morocco decreased significantly during the first half of 2023. Figures revealed by Hortoinfo, an online newspaper reporting on horticultural news, show a reduction of 49.87% compared to the same period of the previous year, reported Morocco’s online agricultural news outlet, AgriMaroc.
Spain imported 53.53 million kilos of watermelons from Morocco in the first six months of this year, resulting in a total expenditure of 450 million MAD (40.93 million euros). The average Moroccan watermelon price is 8.36 MAD per kilo (0.76 euro).
In comparison, Spain bought 106.79 million kilos in the previous year at a cost of 74.87 million euros.
Despite this decline in exports, Morocco remained the principal supplier of watermelons to Spain in the first six months of 2023. The Kingdom continued to record a strong demand for watermelons from countries such as France and Germany.
AgriMaroc noted that the significant decline in Spanish imports of watermelons from Morocco this year raises questions about the underlying reasons and its potential impact on Morocco’s watermelon producers.