[News] Despite Government Promises, Soaring Prices Continue to Frustrate Moroccans

[Revo]

 

 

Rabat - Morocco’s government had vowed to lower prices of basic goods ahead of Ramadan, yet a week into the holy month, Moroccan citizens continue to overwhelmingly express their concerns over the ongoing cost of living crisis. 

Prices of essential food commodities have stirred concerns and frustration among citizens, many of whom have given up on buying some products due to the soaring prices.

The prices of some goods have tripled, leaving customers confused and unsure whether the situation will witness any change soon.

This distressing cost of living crisis has been going on for several months and has worsened during the holy month of Ramadan.

Prices of green pepper have gone from ranging between MAD 6 and MAD 9 to hit the MAD 20 mark, while the prices of potatoes and onions have increased to over MAD 18 and MAD 14 respectively. 

Citizens across Morocco have been taking to social media to decry the government’s perceived lack of concern amid the dispiriting price crisis. In response, the government has either reassured Moroccans that it would soon intervene to lower prices or urged for citizens’ sense of forbearance as it attributed the increase in prices to disruptions in the global market.

A high level inter-ministerial commission held on Thursday in Rabat its second meeting at the Ministry of Interior, discussing the need for monitoring the prices of basic foodstuffs.

The inter-ministerial delegation included the ministers of interior, economy, agriculture, energy, and industry.

Commenting on the situation, Agriculture Minister Mohamed Seddiki, attributed the price hikes to the high cost of production and weather challenges, among other factors.

Seddiki also appeared to urge Moroccans to be patient, vowing that the country will experience a significant decrease in  prices during the spring season, which this year is projected to coincide with a bounteous harvest season for growers of vegetables like tomatoes and potatoes.

The agriculture minister also recalled the government’s measures to address the pricing crisis, including the ban on exporting tomatoes for weeks.

Minister of Industry Riyad Mezzour also expressed his department’s commitment to continue to help efforts to tackle the crisis.

He said that the prices of some products will remain unchanged in the weeks and months to come while the prices of some products, including tomatoes, will considerably drop. 

For her part, Minister of Economy Nadia Fettah Alaoui suggested that Morocco’s efforts to sufficiently supply markets across the country with products that are widely consumed during the month of Ramadan may positively impact the prices of these goods.

“The volume of production expected in the coming days will certainly have a positive impact on prices,” she said.

Meanwhile, Energy Minister Leila Benali commented on the situation by stressing that the meeting of the inter-ministerial committee was marked by the “mention of the structural reforms necessary to solve the problems of the price increase.”

She also commented on the energy products, stressing that the existing reserves meet energy needs for over 40 days.

These statements from the ministers come amid criticism from both ordinary Moroccans and opposition politicians alike.

Several political parties have over the past weeks and days condemned the government’s apparent inaction while Moroccan households continue to struggle with soaring prices. 

On Thursday, Nabil Benabdellah, Secretary-General of the Progress and Socialism Party (PPS), accused the government of “doing nothing” to protect the purchasing power of Moroccan citizens.

Benabdallah also condemned the government for justifying its unresponsiveness and inability to protect Moroccan households’ purchasing power by pointing to the lingering repercussions of global crises like the Ukraine war and the COVID-19 pandemic. 
 

https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2023/03/354782/despite-government-promises-soaring-prices-continue-to-frustrate-moroccans