Spain imposed new measures for the import of watermelon from Morocco after the recent importation suspension following “accusations of high levels of pesticide residues,” said agriculture specialized platform “Fresh Plaza” on Monday.
This claim caused Morocco’s food safety regulators to implement further export restrictions. The Moroccan watermelon sector is already facing production limitations enforced by the government, which are justified by the country’s water scarcity and concomitant decline in volume.
Moroccan agricultural goods exporter Valyour’s CEO Said Aghzou elaborated, “The Spanish notice via RASSF disrupted the season from the start. As soon as it was announced, watermelon exports were suspended and a new procedure was put in place. ONSSA -Morocco’s food safety watchdog- now requires exporters to provide additional pesticide residue tests for each batch harvested; i.e., each truck.”
He added, “This implies additional delays in the issuing of the phytosanitary certificate, as well as higher costs. This new measure is not provisional and will apply throughout the campaign.”
Aghzou defended ONSSA policy, adding, “The incident reported by the Spanish side is dubious. That said, ONSSA’s new requirements are in the interests of producers. Although this initiative was initially misunderstood by producers, the ONSSA team in the Agadir region worked with us to understand and accept this new requirement, which aims to protect Moroccan origin and guarantee product quality. In the face of other potential false accusations, it’s our only tool for proving the quality of our production.”
Morocco’s watermelon production is predicted to decline dramatically this season. According to industry sources, in some locales such as Zagora, production is limited to 1.5 to 2 hectares (depending on location) per permitted well.
In some areas, such as Tata, watermelon production is completely prohibited this season. Both are prominent watermelon-producing regions in Morocco.
According to Aghzou, there will be plenty of Moroccan watermelons this year. He continued, “Planting had begun in the Taroudant area, another major source of watermelons in Morocco, prior to the imposition of the restrictions. In addition, new places have begun producing watermelons this season.”
The producer concluded by saying that this year, Valyour has adopted a new cultivation strategy that goes beyond Zagora, extending to other regions of the Grand Moroccan Sahara such as Touizguie, in order to better meet the customers’ needs. The sizes, from 6 to 10 kg, are desirable especially for the UK market, although they are a little too small for the German market.”