The wave of high prices is associated with contact with many food products in Moroccan markets, especially vegetables and fruits, which have recorded high prices over the past few days after a breakout that lasted several weeks, but returned again for reasons that professionals attribute to climatic conditions. conditions and volatility in fuel prices.
According to professional sources, the price of onions reached 9 dirhams per kilogram, tomatoes – 10 dirhams, cucumbers – 7.50, “cheflor” – 8, carrots – 7.50, bananas – 10, apples – 12.50, warning that this the issue will continue less than two months before Ramadan. indicating an abundance of consumption. All Moroccans.
There is a lot of dissatisfaction, monitored by the Hespress camera, in the markets of the capital Rabat, as well as on social networks, about the continuation of the current wave of high prices, despite the state-approved support measures in favor of goods. transport professionals to keep prices within reach.
In the latest version of the Planning Books, the High Commission for Planning stated that Moroccan consumer prices rose by 6.6 percent in 2022 and rose by 1.4 percent in 2021, warning in the same context that the food index increased at 11.0. percent.
For its part, the World Bank, as part of the latest “food security” data update, placed Morocco in the list of countries in the red zone that saw significant price increases of 5-30 percent, noting that food inflation in the Kingdom has witnessed an increase of 14. 4 percent in November last year.
Many civil society organizations are calling for interested institutions to focus on price control in wholesale markets, especially for agricultural products, meat and fish, with the need to minimize the number of participants in this chain, ensure its flexibility from source to consumer.
Abd al-Rahim Benkar, secretary of the municipal market in Rabat’s Akkari district, said a severe wave of drought is still weighing on vegetable prices, in addition to a fuel crisis and shifting the cost of transport costs for vegetables and fruits from AED 3,500 to AED 8,000. given that the figure is very high.
Benkar added in a statement to Hespress that “the high cost of onions is mainly due to the sellers working only with savings, as the current period is not for this product”, highlighting in relation to tomatoes that “peasants are avoiding harvesting during the current cold wave, and those who pay the bill for this choice are citizens.”
The same representative pointed out that “the tomatoes that are currently sold in the Moroccan market come from Agadir towards Al-Bayda and from there to the rest of the regions”, pointing out that “this raises the price significantly”, noting that “hope depends from rains and evacuations due to severe cold and its impact on Moroccan agriculture.”
