Hommam Al Nassim 
Morocco is facing a cereal season that could be the worst in 17 years, forcing it to import about 75% of its estimated annual needs of more than 10 million tonnes, according to central bank data.
The country is facing a severe drought for the sixth consecutive year, with expected cereal production in the current agricultural season (2023-2024) expected to exceed 2.5 million tonnes, representing a 54 percent decrease compared to the previous season.
The head of the National Federation of Mills, Abdelkader Alaoui, described the situation as the “worst lean years” the kingdom is witnessing, stressing that the country will tend to import in abundance.
During the first two months of this year, the country imported 1.4 million tons of grain, up 7% year-on-year, and these quantities came from several countries, including France, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, and Romania.
The president of the Moroccan Confederation of Agriculture and Rural Development, Rachid Benali, stressed that “the expected production will inevitably be lower than the previous season”, given the unfavorable climatic conditions.
The Kingdom ranks among the countries most vulnerable to climate change in the Mediterranean basin, making it highly dependent on agriculture, where the sector contributes about 14% of GDP.
Last year, the cost of importing the most consumed wheat amounted to about 19.3 billion dirhams, a decrease of 25.3% year-on-year, while the government’s subsidies for flour prices and wheat importers from abroad amounted to about 3.9 billion dirhams.
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