In the first half of 2024, Morocco exported 85.09 million kilograms of watermelon to the EU, experiencing a steep decline of 50.31% compared to the previous year, as reported by the Spanish horticultural news site, Hortoinfo. This volume represented 13.34% of the EU’s total watermelon imports, falling short by 86.14 million kilograms from the 171.23 million kilograms exported during the same timeframe in 2023.
Despite this significant drop, Morocco maintains its position as the second-largest supplier of watermelons to the EU, trailing behind Spain and surpassing the Netherlands, according to data from Euroestacom (ICEX-Eurostat).
On the revenue side, Moroccan watermelon sales in the EU amounted to €74.72 million in the first half of 2024, with an average price of €0.88 per kilogram, which is similar to what Spain achieved. In contrast, Spain exported 149,630 tons of watermelons during the same period, also reflecting a notable year-on-year decline of 51.81% and capturing a market share of 23.46%. This makes Spain the country with the largest fall in watermelon sales within the EU.
However, Spain still led in revenue, generating €133.04 million with an average price of €0.89 per kilogram during the same period. Overall, purchases of watermelons by EU member states decreased by 337.27 million kilograms in the first half of 2024 compared to the same timeframe in 2023. Total purchases for these months reached 637.82 million kilograms, representing a 34.59% decline. The overall sales were valued at €534.09 million, with an average price of €0.84 per kilogram.
