Page 35 - AA 2024

Morocco

Below average cereal production harvested in 2023

Harvesting of the 2023 main winter grain crops concluded
in mid July. Cereals, cultivated on slightly over half of the
arable land, are almost entirely rainfed and their output is
highly variable year on year depending on rainfall amounts
and distribution. Out of the past five agricultural seasons,
four were affected by drought with different degrees of
intensity.
Following a favourable start of the season between October
and December 2022, large areas of the country experienced
below average rainfall amounts last January. Then, improved
rains in February brought some respite to crops in north
and western areas of the country. Rainfall returned to
significantly below average levels in March and April, and
high temperatures in April accelerated grain maturation.
However, production fared better in some western and
central parts of the country due to slightly enhanced rainfall
amounts.
As a result of drought conditions, wheat production is of total wheat grain imports was sourced from Ukraine and
estimated at about 4.1 million tonnes, about 17 percent below no grains were imported from the Russian Federation.
the five year average, but over 60 percent more than the The country applies tariffs on wheat imports to protect
severely drought stricken production in 2022. Barley output local producers from international competition and revises
in 2023 is estimated at 1.35 million tonnes, 20 percent above
the five year average and almost twice the 2022 harvest. the duties on a periodic basis depending on the domestic
supply and demand situation. Usually, import duties are set
The government supports wheat production through the at the highest levels at harvest time. Since November 2021,
establishment of a reference price for purchasing local import duties on the “soft” (common) and “durum” wheat
production. The price for 2023 was set at MAD 3 000/tonne, have been suspended to encourage stock building. The
unchanged from the previous year, up from MAD 2 800/ current suspension remains valid until 31 December 2023.
tonne between 2017 and 2021. As of June, the amount was
equivalent to USD 300/tonne. The government also provides Due to the excess milling capacity in the country, some
a storage premium to farmers that decide to store wheat quantities of wheat flour, couscous and pasta, are exported
grain in licensed facilities. to neighbouring countries.
Food price inflation eases, reflecting ad-
In June 2023, the government extended the ongoing plan to
mitigate the impact of recurrent droughts on the agricultural justments in international prices
sector. The support, worth MAD 10 million (equivalent to The country is dependent on grain and energy imports.
slightly over USD 1 billion) includes measures for livestock As the world’s main exporter of phosphate, the value of the
production (including feed), horticultural value chains and country’s phosphate exports doubled in the first quarter
the provision of financing for agriculture. 2022 compared to the same period in 2021, supported by
Cereal imports to ease in 2023/24 as do- high international fertilizer prices. While phosphate prices
mestic production recovers slightly declined from their peaks, they remain currently above

The country relies heavily on cereal imports to cover its the levels from two years ago and only partially offset the
consumption needs. The 2023/24 cereal import requirement increase in the total import bill resulting from still elevated
(July/June) is forecast at an average level of 8.3 million global food and energy prices.
tonnes, about 5 percent below 2022/23 imports. In spite of the country’s high import dependency rate,
Wheat constitutes about 60 percent of the cereal imports. the transmission of high international prices on domestic
In the past, the European Union and the Black Sea countries markets is mitigated by government subsidies. In June 2023,
supplied most of the common “soft” wheat, although the the annual food inflation rate was estimated at 13.1 percent,
share of Argentina and Brazil has been increasing. During the steadily decreasing from the peak of 20 percent recorded
past four years, wheat imports from Ukraine and the Russian in February 2023, the highest level recorded since the
Federation were about 20 and 7 percent, respectively, of the beginning of the series in 2010. The general price inflation
total imports. In the 2022 calendar year, a negligible 1 percent in June was estimated at 5.5 percent.
Arab Agriculture 2024 33