The 2024 Moroccan watermelon season is experiencing major difficulties, with a lack of volumes and quality concerns. At present, very few, if any, watermelons are available for export or on the local market.
An Agadir-based exporter said: "There is no supply of watermelons from the region at the moment. New harvests from other regions are expected in the next few days, but we will have to wait and see how the quality is before deciding to resume the campaign."
The campaign got off to a good start in April with the harvest in the Zagora region. Volumes from this region were lower than in the previous season, due to drought-related production restrictions. Despite this, volumes were sufficient for the local market and for export, and of good quality.
With production in Zagora exhausted, the Moroccan season continued with production in the Agadir and Taroudant regions. One exporter said: "We've had major quality problems with watermelons from these regions: a virus that causes melons to explode or rot has ravaged production. This brought the season to a halt, and there were no more watermelons on the local or export markets.
After more than two weeks when watermelons disappeared from the market, the harvest from the Fès region arrived in limited volumes. The exporter says, "The fate of the season will depend heavily on the harvest from the Gharb region, which is more consistent in terms of volume."
However, it seems that Gharb growers are still reluctant to plant. As one grower put it, "The region was affected by poor quality last year, and many growers turned their backs on watermelons. There are fears that the virus outbreak could be repeated. Some growers have gone ahead and are expecting a crop in the next few days, and the result will either encourage more planting for the summer or bring the season to an abrupt end."
He concludes: "Either way, it's a season to forget for watermelons. The days of abundance when excess watermelons were used to feed livestock, are over".