Morocco tomato prices: government suspends export licenses

Morocco's government has temporarily suspended new export licenses for tomatoes, potatoes and onions, a move aimed at securing supply to the domestic market and keeping prices in check. Retail prices for round tomatoes now exceed 15 dirhams per kilogram at some points of sale, while farmers receive only about 6 dirhams on average, according to Le Matin.

The decision was announced on Thursday in Rabat during the weekly Council of Government meeting by government spokesperson Samir Belfkih, on behalf of Head of Government Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, who reaffirmed that protecting citizens' purchasing power remains a government priority amid rising food and fuel prices, according to Le360. The suspension is meant to protect the domestic market and secure its needs while balancing the interests of Moroccan farmers with the Kingdom's commitments to its African partners.

Zakaria Hanich, president of the Interprofessional Federation of Fruits and Vegetables (FIFEL), told the newspaper Assahra Al Maghribia that the supply shortage stems mainly from heatwaves in the Souss-Massa region, as well as the role of distribution chains in the gap between the price farmers receive and the price consumers pay.

A daily price-tracking committee and extra support for road transport

Alongside the export suspension, the government activated an interministerial committee tasked with daily, on-the-ground tracking of basic consumer-goods prices, and decided to continue exceptional support for road transport professionals to ease the impact of rising fuel costs on transport costs, with an additional 400 million dirhams earmarked for passenger and goods transport workers, according to the government spokesperson's remarks reported by Al3omk. The measures come as part of early preparations for the holy month of Ramadan, a period that traditionally sees higher demand for several consumer goods.

Will prices drop soon? And what about the regional distribution companies?

Asked about the effectiveness of the government's measures, Samir Belfkih said international prices had "started to decline," expressing hope this would be reflected in the Moroccan market "in the coming weeks and days," without giving figures or a specific date for when consumers would feel the effect. Responding to a question from Al3omk, he also revealed that the government plans to present the technical and regulatory details of a project to create "regional product-distribution companies" starting in early 2027, aimed partly at reducing the role of intermediaries in rising food prices, while acknowledging that some aspects of the project are not yet fully defined.

At the same session, the Council of Government also approved a decree raising the minimum direct social aid from 500 to 600 dirhams per month, effective 1 January 2027, part of a package of measures the government presents as aimed at protecting Moroccans' purchasing power.