Brussels, Feb 19, 2012 (SPS) - The international Organization Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW) has published a report on “Conflict Tomatoes” with the support of Emmaus Stockholm, pointing to a “massive growth in the Moroccan agriculture industry in occupied Western Sahara and its trade to the EU.”
The Report identified 11 plantations situated around the town of Dakhla in the southern parts of the Saharawi occupied territories, which is a violation of international law that prohibit the exploitation of the resources of non-independent territory as in the case of Western Sahara, occupied by Morocco since 1975.
The research conducted by the NGO shows that all sites were either owned by the Moroccan king, powerful Moroccan conglomerates or by French multinational firms.
It also indicated that there no firms owned by the local Saharawi and not even by small-scale Moroccan settlers in the territory, adding that the agricultural production of the farms has shown “a tremendous boost: the vegetable produce increased by 2800% between 2002-2003 and 2008-2009. The number of people working in agriculture in the Dakhla region is expected to triple by 2020.”
The two NGOs underlined that this industry is based on the extraction of non-renewable water basins located deep underground, pointing out that the people who work on these farms are Moroccans, not Saharawi, in addition they work on the farms for months on end and live in government sponsored housing programmes.
“We recommend the EU institutions to not conclude an agriculture agreement with Morocco without specifying that it does not apply to produce from Western Sahara. Doing otherwise, will undermine international law, fail to respect the Saharawi people’s most fundamental rights and negatively interfere with the UN peace talks,” stated the Report.
“The Saharawi population in Dakhla remains unemployed”, stated Dakhla resident, El Mami Amar Salem, president of the Committee against Torture in Western Sahara, in the report.
Farmer associations in southern Europe have expressed their concern that they will now have to compete with plantation firms operating in the occupied territory of Dakhla.
The NGOs expressed fear on a possible decision by the European Parliament in favor of the new agreement for further liberalization of agricultural produce from Morocco “does not take into consideration complaints of the Saharawis,” adding that such act “could be a massive support to unethical and controversial industry in the territory.”
“The free trade agreement on agricultural products and fisheries between the European Union and Morocco will not be valid according to the international law if this agreement includes the territory of Western Sahara,” said Thursday Minister Delegate in charge of European Affairs, Mohamed Sidati.
He therefore indicated that Western Sahara is “a non-autonomous territory under the responsibility of the UN, and thus Morocco has no right of sovereignty or administration over it,” adding “it has been confirmed by the International Court of Justice (Advisory Opinion of October 16, 1975).” (SPS)
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