At a time when the recent rainfall was “good news” for farmers in various regions of the Kingdom, the crops of their counterparts in the southeast, specifically in the city of Tata, suffered from strong winds that doubled the encroachment of sand dunes, which led to the destruction of a percentage of their crops.
The farmers of the Tata region, like their counterparts in the southeast, are monitoring the continued ban on the cultivation of watermelon by the authorities, which they consider “the only fruit suitable in these weather conditions, as it can withstand the wind and grow quickly.”
Some regions of the southeast did not receive their share of the recent bounties of heaven, such as Zagora and Tata, and other regions that suffer from drought and were mainly known for growing watermelon, a fruit that consumes, according to the authorities, “a lot of water.”
But with crops such as tomatoes and onions finding it difficult to withstand the winds and encroaching sand dunes, farmers found themselves pushed to demand that the authorities reverse the decision to ban watermelon cultivation.
Impact of recent precipitation
Musa’ef Al-Hassan, a member of the Agricultural Association for male and female farmers in the Tata region, said, “The recent rainfall that affected many regions of the Kingdom, especially in the north, brought us strong winds and sand dunes that doubled our problems.”
A paramedic added, in a statement to Hespress, that the water from the recent rainfall that was stored in the Mansour Al-Dhahabi Dam will not reach the farmers of Tata until after a period of 3 months, and that “the stock that we are currently benefiting from consists of the recent rainfall that fell after the period of the Al Haouz earthquake.”
The spokesman considered that the authorities’ decision to maintain the ban on watermelon cultivation in the region “is incorrect, and we demand that it be reversed as soon as possible,” explaining that “the winds and sand encroachment that increased with the recent rainfall highlight that the cultivation of onions and tomatoes is not appropriate for this situation, and that “Watermelon is suitable for cultivation.”
Although the losses resulting from the wind and the encroachment of sand were not large, according to the member of the Agricultural Association for male and female farmers in the Tata region, he called for “the necessity of conjuring up a new strategy by the authorities to confront this phenomenon, which greatly affects the crop.”
The return of watermelon, farmers’ demand for potatoes
Regarding whether the demand to lift the ban conflicts with the dire water situation that the water farm is facing in Morocco, Mohamed Boulila, a farmer in the Tata region, said, “The water table is 80 percent potatoes, and it does not suffer from a major problem.” Also, according to field facts, growing onions and potatoes consumes more water than watermelon.”
Boulila added, in a statement to Hespress, that his estate is located in what he described as “the highway of the winds,” which is formed immediately after rain falls in other regions of the Kingdom of Morocco, and brings negative returns on the crop, and increases the effect of sand in destroying the yield, explaining that “this scenario “This is exactly what happened recently.”
The spokesman stated that the losses incurred by this matter, although not large, highlight “the incorrectness of the decision to prevent watermelon cultivation in the region.”
Boulila stressed that “the ban decision did not do justice to the farmers in the southeast, and did not take into account that watermelon cultivation is the main driver of the livelihood of farmers in the region,” stressing that watermelon is the main agriculture in the region, and it is difficult to replace it.
He added, “Cultivating potatoes, tomatoes, and onions requires five times more than watermelon, and one hectare of tomatoes requires ten thousand roots, while one hectare of watermelon requires three thousand.”