Lekjaa rejects export doubling amid Morocco's 7-year drought

Morocco's Minister of Economy and Finance, Fouzi Lekjaa, acknowledged on Friday a noticeable rise in prices on Moroccan markets, saying it is "unacceptable to double the pace of exports while the country is going through its seventh year of drought." His remarks came as the government presented its responses to the House of Representatives, during the review of the 2027 finance bill.

National market first

Lekjaa said Morocco is seeing "an unprecedented surge in prices on the domestic market," stressing that the goal is to let citizens access their daily needs "in abundance and at reasonable prices," with "absolute priority" given to the national market over exports. He said addressing the issue does not mean going backward or imposing restrictive measures on exporters, but rather regulating and organizing activity in partnership with agricultural producers themselves.

Modernizing 12 wholesale markets

The minister unveiled a ready program to modernize 12 major wholesale markets across the kingdom, turning them into transparent, competitive spaces, while scrapping fees and taxes that raise costs along the distribution chain from producer to consumer. He also criticized imbalances between production and consumption areas, marked by unjustified interventions and inflated invoicing, calling on the state to step in through clear mechanisms to cut excessive margins and unnecessary intermediaries, as vegetable prices in Morocco keep climbing in recent weeks.

Reviewing the social support index

Lekjaa also called for reviewing the current social support index, so that families in need are not excluded over minor, temporary changes in their spending. His comments follow the minister's announcement days earlier that 87% of employees will be exempt from income tax under the upcoming finance law, as the government seeks to highlight the social dimension of the 2027 budget.

Why this matters to Moroccans

Lekjaa's statement comes as seven years of persistent drought weigh on national agricultural output and push up prices for several basic food items on local markets, from fresh vegetables to other staples. Balancing export revenue on one hand with protecting Moroccan households' purchasing power on the other remains one of the government's biggest challenges in the months ahead.