Morocco food prices: government plan for 100 modern markets

Morocco's government, led by Fatima Zahra El Mansouri, aims to keep food prices "reasonable and sustainable" without trying to bring them back to levels seen in previous years, according to the government programme adopted by the House of Representatives by 204 votes to 127 on Thursday, October 22.

Middlemen's margin eats up 34% of the price

The programme draws on a 2024 analysis by the Competition Council, which estimates that intermediaries' margins on some farm products amount to about 34% of the final price paid by consumers, compared with just 30% going to the producer. For the government, a "reasonable" price should reflect production, storage and transport costs, a justified trade margin, and a fair income for producers.

To address this imbalance, authorities plan to set up regional companies or digital platforms in the Souss, Gharb, Loukkos, Berkane and Haouz growing areas to pool harvests and market them at clearly stated prices and fees, covering sorting, packaging, refrigeration and transport. Direct supply contracts between producers and collective buyers such as schools, hospitals and shops will be expanded, alongside the construction of modern wholesale markets equipped with refrigeration, storage and traceability, a revision of the legal framework for wholesale markets, and a crackdown on informal levies.

On stocks, the government will maintain a regularly updated basket of essential foods, with annual planning of needs, production, stocks and imports, resorting when necessary to releasing stocks, speeding up production, or targeted imports, with early announcement of import schedules and any tariff cuts.

Specific measures for meat and fish

For red meat, the government is committing to tighter oversight of livestock markets, modernized slaughterhouses and greater price transparency, while also checking whether tax and customs exemptions on meat and livestock imports actually translate into lower consumer prices. For fish and seafood, refrigeration and storage infrastructure will be built at ports and landing points, encouraging direct sales and improving distribution to the domestic market.

The announcement is part of a broader government programme that also includes raising the minimum pension to 3,000 dirhams, gradually raising the income-tax exemption threshold from 40,000 to 60,000 dirhams a year over five years while lowering the top tax bracket from 37% to 30%, and introducing a social electricity subsidy of up to 100 dirhams a month for eligible households.

No fixed numerical target

The government programme does not, however, set any numerical cap on food-price reductions or a precise timeline for measuring the impact on household budgets — a gap the opposition has criticized, saying the programme as a whole lacks clear indicators and deadlines. To ensure follow-up, the government plans to set up a national information system tracking producer prices, transport and storage costs, and margins along the chain, publishing periodic indicators on essential product prices and coordinating oversight bodies with the Competition Council to detect unjustified price hikes or anti-competitive practices.