Rabat – Dramatic price declines have been observed in Morocco’s cucumber market in the last few weeks, with costs plunging to as low as 4 to 3 Moroccan Dirhams (approximately $0.42 to $0.32 USD) per kilogram. Particularly in the Northern region, the produce’s market value has nosedived substantially.
This price plummet coincides with a recent decision by Portugal and a number of other European nations to stop importing cucumbers from Morocco. The rejection was in response to a report by the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), a European food safety watchdog, that detected excessive pesticide levels in the produce.
Following Europe’s refusal to import, this sudden market shift might be an unplanned consequence of Europe’s import refusal, causing farmers to redirect their produce toward local markets.
We engaged in conversation with two merchants, one in Tangier and the other in M’diq. Both confirmed the drastic price drop but expressed unawareness about the alleged rerouting of the produce.
This raises concerns about the safety of the produce and the ethical implications of selling it in Morocco after it was refused in Europe.
