Morocco resumes soft wheat import subsidies starting September 16

The Moroccan market will resume importing soft wheat from international markets starting from September 16, after a hiatus since the beginning of last June, in a move aimed at securing the national grain stockpile after the difficulties faced in collecting local production. Omar Al-Yaqoubi, president of the National Federation of Grain and Qatani Traders, explained that the resumption of imports from abroad will begin on September 16 to meet the needs of the national market and ensure the stability of stocks at safe levels, which was suspended in early June based on Expectations of abundant local production. Why did the import stop in the first place? Despite initial expectations, the storage authorities faced difficulties in collecting sufficient quantities of wheat, after a large number of farmers preferred to keep their crops instead of marketing them to traders, prompting the authorities to reopen the import door to fill the gap. For his part, Abdelkader Alaoui, President of the National Federation of Mills, confirmed that only about 6 million quintals were secured from local production, representing between 10 and 12 percent of He pointed out that in total, mills need about 50 million quintals of soft wheat, which means that about 44 million additional quintals need to be imported to fill the deficit. According to professional sources, the cost of imported wheat is expected to exceed the threshold of 270 dirhams per quintal in Moroccan ports, at a time when geopolitical turmoil continues to complicate shipping schedules and raise import costs for professionals, which puts additional pressure on the margins of grain traders and mills during this transitional period. Why does this matter The Moroccan consumer file is directly related to the stability of soft wheat stocks at flour and bread prices in the internal market, as imports of this basic material constitute a major tributary to cover the deficit in national production after a peasant season that did not enable the mobilization of sufficient quantities with the storage authorities. Professionals in the trade and milling sectors are expecting that the resumption of imports will contribute to avoiding any tension in supply during the coming months, until the end of December, the date set for the completion of this process, provided that the concerned authorities follow Prices evolve closely to ensure the stability of the internal market for flour and bread.