Rabat - A farmer in the region of Chichaoua, south of Marrakech, was experimenting with the ancient practice of using human waste as fertilizer for his watermelon. Given modern sanitary cautions, however, neither the idea nor the smell was well received by neighboring farms.
Rabat – A farmer in the region of Chichaoua, south of Marrakech, was experimenting with the ancient practice of using human waste as fertilizer for his watermelon. Given modern sanitary cautions, however, neither the idea nor the smell was well received by neighboring farms.
Having found the best formula to lower the production costs of his watermelons and generate maximum profit, the farmer was blissful. But his “happy hunting ground” did not last for long.
A few days ago, winds from the east began to sweep the area causing the smell to invade the surrounding douars.
The odor was so unbearable that the inhabitants summoned the authorities to investigate the situation.
A gendarme unit went to the scene. They were obliged to cover their noses while workers handed them samples of the fertilizer used in the farm.
The neighbors filed complaints with the gendarme and the public prosecutor ordered a judicial investigation into the matter.
The fertilizer was sent to the central laboratory of the gendarme in Rabat for analysis. The owner, who was summoned by the authorities, did not appear because he was not in the province of Chichaoua.
Mohammed al-Fayed, a specialist in food science and nutrition, said in a statement to pjd.ma that what is being promoted in the media about the farmer in Chichaoua should be treated with “extreme caution.”
He added that the public should be critical of the situation until scientific evidence is provided.
To eliminate all doubt, Fayed asserts that the state should send three to four experts to verify the accuracy of what is being promoted in the media.
He explained that a committee of experts should be formed from the Ministry of Agriculture, Health and Interior, adding that consumer protection associations should also be involved in what is happening.
