The volume of watermelons Spain imported from Morocco dropped by 75.51% over the last two seasons, as Morocco exported a mere 28.31 million kilos of watermelon in 2023/2024, down from 115.58 million kilos in 2021/2022, Horto Info reported on Friday. Revenues dropped by EUR 87.3 million.
The total value of watermelon imports from Morocco during the most recent season was 22.03 million euros, with an average price of 0.78 euros per kilo. This is a stark contrast to two campaigns earlier when Spain paid 115.58 million euros for Moroccan watermelons at an average price of 0.68 euros per kilo.
Traditionally Spain’s primary supplier of watermelons, Morocco now accounts for only 36.6% of Spain’s total watermelon imports. This 63.02 million kilo drop is a significant decline of about 44.89%.
Notably, Spain’s watermelon imports via Almería decreased by 55.24%, while imports through Barcelona fell by 42.34%. However, imports through Valencia increased by 33.49%, indicating varied geographical shifts in Spain’s import patterns.
As Morocco’s share of Spain’s watermelon market has significantly declined, Spain has turned to other sources, most notably Senegal and Mauritania.
During the 2023/2024 season, Senegal became Spain’s second-largest watermelon supplier, with exports rising by 11.33 million kilos (+89.5%), totaling 23.99 million kilos. The value of Senegalese watermelons sold to Spain reached 14.57 million euros, with an average price of 0.61 euros per kilo.
Mauritania emerged as the third-largest supplier, with Spain importing 12.27 million kilos, a massive increase of 246.1% compared to previous seasons. The value of these imports was 10.47 million euros, at an average price of 0.85 euros per kilo.
The decline in Morocco’s production of watermelons is due to water shortages that the kingdom has been facing over the past five years. Watermelons require 2 to 5 cm of water every week (1 cm = 60.5 liters), which means the water table loses between 121 L and 302.5 L to grow.
In order to conserve depleting water supplies, the Moroccan government has imposed severe regulations that limit the maximum land area permissible for watermelon growing in major producing zones.
The decision, taken during an administration meeting on October 18, 2023, placed strict restrictions on watermelon farming in critical areas, such as Zagora and Tata, provinces known for growing this water-intensive crop.
The provincial governor of Zagora has directed that watermelon growing be limited to one hectare.
Restrictions apply to all varieties of watermelon grown in regions near drinking water supply sites, as designated by local committees. These include drinking water sources, the perimeters that border the Draa River across oases in southeast Morocco, and also other rivers.