Morocco 2026-27 Farm Season: 50% Subsidy on Cereal Seeds
Minister Khalid Hatimy launched Morocco's 2026-2027 farm season in Fquih Ben Salah, with seeds subsidized by 50% and a national herd-rebuilding programme.
Morocco's Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries and Food Sovereignty, Khalid Hatimy, launched the 2026-2027 farm season on Saturday from the municipality of Sidi Hamadi, in Fquih Ben Salah province, according to Le Matin. The launch ceremony was attended by the wali of the Béni Mellal-Khénifra region and governor of Béni Mellal province, Mohamed Benribag, the governor of Fquih Ben Salah province, Mohamed Karnachi, the president of the regional council, Adil Barakat, and the president of the Moroccan Confederation of Agriculture and Rural Development (COMADER), Rachid Benali.
The launch follows a 2025-2026 season marked by favorable rainfall, with a cereal harvest estimated at nearly 90 million quintals, the first good season after six consecutive years of drought, according to Rachid Benali.
Seeds subsidized by 50%, and fertilizer for the market
Under the Green Generation strategy, Hatimy unveiled a set of measures to secure the season, including mobilizing about 1.3 million quintals of certified autumn cereal seeds at prices subsidized by 50%, and supplying the market with roughly 500,000 tonnes of phosphate fertilizer. The national direct-seeding programme continues over 540,000 hectares, with multi-risk climate insurance covering about one million hectares of cereals, legumes and oilseed crops.
| Seed type | Price per quintal |
|---|---|
| Soft wheat | 270 DH |
| Durum wheat | 320 DH |
| Barley | 250 DH |
A programme to rebuild the national herd
On livestock, the ministry launched a herd-rebuilding programme, with targeted incentives for importing heifers and breeding cows, alongside a gradual reduction in imports of cattle for slaughter, aiming to revive local production and stabilize market prices.
What the minister and the farmers' president said
Hatimy said the new season aims for high levels of production and added value, while creating new jobs and substantially contributing to the Kingdom's food sovereignty and security, stressing the need to change how the sector is managed, with optimal productivity built on rationalized water resources and controlled inputs to cope with climate change.
Rachid Benali said that including "food sovereignty" in the ministry's new name is a strong signal, calling for support to farmers so they can overcome the losses accumulated during the six years of drought.
A field visit to irrigation infrastructure... and an olive sector in crisis
On the sidelines of the ceremony, Hatimy visited a women's cooperative in Ouled M'Barek and a certified-seed sales centre in Sidi Hamadi, then checked on progress at the G9 sector filtration station, which serves 3,243 hectares for an investment of 15 million dirhams, and the modernization project for the Zidania canal, worth 395.22 million dirhams, aimed at cutting water losses and improving the network's performance.
The day's activities closed with a working meeting with the Moroccan Olive Interprofessional Association (Interprolive) on the state of the olive sector, the progress of the harvest, and challenges linked to labour costs and market conditions. The meeting coincided with a statement from the association warning that national olive production had fallen by 30 to 40% compared with the previous season, amid weak demand and prices that do not cover production and harvesting costs, according to Hespress.
What it means for farmers
Farmers who want the subsidized seeds can go to certified seed sales centres, like the one the minister visited in Sidi Hamadi, at the official prices listed above. For livestock breeders, the incentives for importing heifers and breeding cows target those running herd-rebuilding projects, though no exact date or detailed conditions have been announced yet.