Moroccan fears of Algerian dominance of Mauritanian market

In a telegram containing many political messages, the Algerian news agency announced the export of tens of tons of onions to Mauritania. This telegram comes at a time when the traffic of Moroccan trucks loaded with vegetables and fruits at the Guerguerat border crossing with Mauritania has been at a standstill since the beginning of the year.
The news caused panic among Moroccan exporters, who saw it as an Algerian “takeover” of the Mauritanian market supplied by Morocco. They warned their country’s authorities not to delay the search for reconciliation with the Mauritanian authorities so that Moroccan agricultural products could return to that country.
At the beginning of this year, the Mauritanian government imposed heavy taxes on Moroccan trucks entering Mauritanian territory or heading to West African countries via Mauritania. The increase was enormous, rising by 171 percent, raising the cost of customs clearance for a large truck load, estimated at 70 thousand ouguiyas (the Mauritanian currency), or about 1,600 euros, to more than 190 thousand ouguiyas, or about 4,600 euros.
Moroccan experts say that the reason for the Mauritanian sanctions on Moroccan exports is that the Moroccan regime prevents the export of some agricultural products in order to maintain price stability in their country. However, observers link the Mauritanian government’s decision to raise tolls on Moroccan trucks by 171 percent to the cowardly assassinations it has carried out. The Moroccan army occasionally attacks Mauritanian gold miners with drones, and the decision to raise truck tolls came a few days after the Moroccan army cold-bloodedly killed three Mauritanians who were prospecting for gold.
These cowardly Moroccan operations caused a state of anger in the Mauritanian street, because the Moroccan regime went so far as to target Mauritanian prospectors in cold blood as soon as they crossed the Mauritanian border into the occupied Sahrawi territories, out of ignorance on their part due to the lack of landmarks on these borders, which made the Nouakchott government face the inevitability of a response. In order to stop the Moroccan provocations, it was decided to increase the fees for Moroccan trucks entering Mauritanian territory.
To remedy the situation, Mohamed Al-Zamrani, president of the Moroccan Association of Exporters of Moroccan Agricultural Products to Africa and Abroad, as presented by the Moroccan press, came out to warn that “Morocco’s suspension of the export of some agricultural products to Mauritania has opened the way for many competitors to enter this important market, especially Algeria and southern Africa and Egypt”. Africa and Egypt.
The official of the Moroccan Exporters Association warned of what he considered “the negative scenarios that could arise as a result, since Mauritania will continue the journey of searching for solutions to ensure food security for its citizens,” calling for the opening of a dialogue with the authorities in Nouakchott “to protect Moroccan interests in this country,” in The strong Algerian competition remained.
This is why Moroccan exporters are sounding the alarm, warning of the definitive loss of the Mauritanian market in the face of competition from Algerian products, which benefit from the privileges of relations between Algeria and Nouakchott, which are experiencing one of their best periods ever, especially in light of the preparation and opening of the Tindouf-Zouérat crossing. According to the Algerian authorities, this will be another outlet for Mauritania, which for years has been hostage to Moroccan agricultural exports, which Rabat has over time turned into a weapon to pressure Nouakchott in order to achieve political gains, most recently by preventing the export of some products.
Algeria is betting that the Tindouf-Zouérat border crossing will be its outlet to the West African region, as it is close to the heart of the Algerian desert, the Adrar, which is experiencing an agricultural renaissance due to the nature of the fertile lands and the availability of groundwater, in addition to the funding approved by the state, In addition to the fact that the region is close to the Mauritanian border, which facilitates the export mission, as well as the privileges of free movement of people and goods between Algeria and Mauritania, in contrast to the crises that occurred between Rabat and Nouakchott, which were manifested by the latter increasing the tariff rate on Moroccan goods by 171 percent, making their competitiveness weak.