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Exporters from Morocco expressed dismay and concerns about the vandalization of Moroccan produce in EU countries.
“I don’t see any difference between what’s happening in Europe now and the attacks by Houthi pirates in the Red Sea, ” exporter Oussama Machi told agriculture-focused news outlet FreshPlaza.
The statement refers to Houthis’ drone and missile attacks against international commercial ships in the Red Sea. The attacks started in mid-November in response to Israel’s Occupation Forces’ (IOF) devastating war against Palestinians in Gaza.
Trucks loading Moroccan vegetables, including tomatoes, have been raided and vandalized by European farmers in various countries, including Spain and France.
The farmers’ acts are a protest against what they perceive as “unfair competition” from non-EU countries.
Several videos show farmers involved in setting foreign trucks on fire and destroying the produce they were carrying.
Machi, who is based in the Souss Massa region, renewed Moroccan farmer’s concerns, stressing that the situation “badly affects” their produce.
“The people behind them don’t care whether the trucks are destined for the Spanish market or the UK, and target trucks simply because they come from Morocco,” he added.
The crisis mainly affects exporters.
“Neither the transporters nor the insurance companies take any responsibility,” Machi added.
The Moroccan Confederation of Agriculture and Rural Development (COMADER) renewed the same concerns earlier this week, stressing and describing the acts as “baseless.”
It also condemned media misinformation circulating about Moroccan farmers, stating that they are direct victims of such acts, and the Confederation ‘will and cannot tolerate such unacceptable behavior.’
COMADER also praised the quality of the products exported to the EU, emphasizing that such produce is strictly adhering to all legal standards.
