Mauritanian farmers and exporters are frustrated after “failing in recent days to export shipments of Mauritanian watermelons to Morocco over high taxes.”
Sources revealed that Moroccan authorities applied fees reaching MAD 90,000 for a 24-ton shipment, but a Mauritanian source confirmed to Hespress AR that the customs rate hasn’t changed from previous years.
A Moroccan industry source clarified that the MAD 90,000 covers total export costs, not just customs duties, which amount to about MAD 50,000 for the shipment.
Ahmed Oueld Ennahi, secretary-general of the Mauritanian Consumer Protection Forum, explained that Ramadan fell at the end of February, before Mauritania’s watermelon production peaks.
“This created a shortage and pushed prices up to 10 MAD per kilogram,” he said, noting that most Mauritanian watermelons are exported in large quantities to Europe, with Morocco serving only as a transit point.
He added that the amounts sent to the Moroccan market are small and mostly go to major retail brands, where prices can reach 15 MAD per kilogram, stressing that “Morocco’s customs rates are old and haven’t changed.”
Amine Amanat Allah, a Moroccan farmer and one of the first Moroccans to invest in watermelon farming in Mauritania, said the season for Mauritanian watermelons has already started, noting that the first harvest is usually exported, while the second batch is sold in the local market at affordable prices.
He pointed out that the Mauritanian market is small compared with the country’s total production, revealing that in just five years, the area under watermelon cultivation has grown from 200 to 3,000 hectares.
The farmer noted that due to high production and complex logistics for exporting to Europe, part of Mauritania’s watermelon harvest is directed to Morocco, the closest market.
Regarding market access taxes in Morocco, Amanat Allah said reductions can’t be made mid-season and must be arranged in advance.
Lowering them would make Mauritanian watermelons more affordable for Moroccan consumers and benefit exporters and investors, he concluded.
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