Rabat, Morocco (TMT)- The head of the Progressive and Socialist Party (PPS) parliamentary group, Rachid Hamouni, has addressed a written question to the Minister of Agriculture, Mohammed Sadiki, regarding the accuracy of the information circulating about the quality and safety of some Moroccan agricultural exports.
This comes after reports in the media stating that the percentage of pesticides in a type of cucumber exported by Morocco to Europe was found to be high, prompting Portuguese authorities to destroy significant quantities of it to prevent it from reaching European markets.
The head of the parliamentary team emphasized in his question that the situation is “worrisome”, according to the text of the question, given also that the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) “was informed that Moroccan cucumber contains traces of the pesticide Oxamyl in quantities exceeding the maximum residue limit (MRL), which poses a health risk and complications upon consumption,” as stated in the text of the question.
The parliamentary group of the PPS is called on the Minister of Agriculture to provide “accurate clarifications in defense of the interests and reputation of our country and the quality of its exports,” and share with the public more information in case it is “a malicious campaign against the interests of the country and the reputation and quality of its exports.”
It is worth reminding that Morocco’s cucumber exports have increased this year to 20,000 tons, achieving an unprecedented record, representing more than three times the volume of the kingdom’s exports to international markets of this product over the past five years. Moroccan producers have managed to supply the European Union and the United Kingdom with a total of 17,100 tons of cucumber, compared to 3,800 tons in 2017.
Morocco exported 3,450 tons of cucumber around the world last January.
The Moroccan Times.
