The invitation extended by Emmanuel Macron to Mohammed VI to the International Agricultural Show in Paris, from February 22 to March 2, resembles an attempt to defuse a slippery terrain. If the King of Morocco accepts, it will be his first official visit to France since 2018. The gesture, far from being fortuitous, comes at a time when tensions between French farmers and Moroccan producers are reaching their peak.
Algerian dates marketed in Morocco are safe and do not pose a threat to consumers’ health, Moroccan professionals in the sector have assured, while nevertheless expressing doubts about the quality of this product imported from the eastern neighbor.
Concern is growing about the quality of Algerian dates imported into Morocco. Dr. Hassan Chtibi, president of the Consumer Protection Association, warns of the health risks associated with the consumption of this product prized by Moroccans.
Morocco ranks 20th in the global ranking of watermelon producers, with a production of 462.72 million kilograms of watermelons in 2023, according to data compiled from Hortoinfo and Faostat, the statistical agency of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
While Algerian dates are unwanted in Morocco, Tunisian distributors have found a way to outwit Moroccan importers.
Moroccan agricultural exports to France risk falling due to a new law aimed at introducing “mirror clauses” for agricultural imports from third countries.
Morocco can continue to export its Charentais melons and cherry tomatoes produced in its southern provinces to France. This is the result of a recent decision by the French Council of State, which sounds like a setback for the Polisario and its allies.
Tried for human exploitation, fraud and money laundering in the agricultural sector, the masterminds of a network that mainly recruited illegal labor from Morocco for service companies in agriculture in various regions of France were sentenced to one year in prison.
Faced with growing pressure on its water resources, Morocco is pulling out all the stops to develop innovative solutions. Ahmed El Bouari, Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests, has announced an ambitious program to build seawater desalination plants, responding to royal directives. The goal? Produce more than 1.7 billion cubic meters of desalinated water by 2030.
Moroccan watermelon exports have experienced a record decline in the first ten months of 2024, reaching only 113,500 tons, the lowest level since 2017. The persistent drought and cultivation restrictions in certain regions of the kingdom would explain this decline.
Spanish companies are rushing more towards Morocco where environmental and tax regulations seem more flexible than those of the European Union.
The local authorities of Zagora have been carrying out a large-scale operation since last Thursday to ensure that farmers comply with the decision limiting the cultivation of watermelons in the province. Offenders will face the full force of the law.