Professionals in the export of vegetables and fruits are heading for escalation due to the continued ban on the export of potatoes and onions to African countries, with the exception of Senegal, which obtained authorization from the competent authorities.
According to professional sources, sectoral demonstrations will be organized next week in Inezgane-Ait Melloul due to the lack of dialogue on the part of the public authorities responsible for managing this file.
These same sources criticized the decision of the ministerial institutions to limit themselves only to Senegal in the export process, pointing out that the exporters suffer enormous financial losses due to the continuation of the ban for several months.
Mohamed Zamrani, acting president of the Moroccan Association of Exporters of Various Products to Africa and Abroad, said that ” this decision could lead to a diplomatic crisis with Mauritania, which is a transit country for Moroccan trucks“.
In a statement to MoroccoLatestNewsZamrani pointed out that “ Morocco maintains close relations with all the countries of the African continent and it is therefore not possible to limit oneself to Senegal only. We must authorize the export of vegetables to all countries on the continent“, he insisted.
Our interlocutor pointed out that “ the decision to ban the export of potatoes and onions remains in force for professionals, despite the abundance of vegetables on Moroccan markets“, emphasizing that “ the context that led to this decision being taken during Ramadan is no longer valid“.
So, ” the professionals held a meeting on the subject a few days ago with the governor of Inezgane-Ait Melloul, who denied the involvement of the Ministry of the Interior in this ban decision, which requires the intervention by the Minister of Agriculture to put an end to this controversy“, believes Zamrani.
” The authorities have authorized professionals to transport onions and potatoes to the Senegalese market every Wednesday, but this is not enough to compensate for the losses of professionals“, he raised, pointing out that “ vegetables are widely available in Moroccan markets“.
It should be recalled that the government has banned the export of certain vegetables abroad, in particular to African markets, due to the rise in prices in recent months, and following the social tension that marked the Kingdom due to the deterioration of the purchasing power of Moroccan households.