During a recent session of oral questions at the Council of Advisors, Morocco's Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water, and Forests, Ahmed Bouari, unveiled encouraging projections for the current agricultural season. The harvest is expected to reach approximately 90 million quintals of grains, significantly boosted by favorable weather conditions and increased production yields in certain regions, which have risen to an impressive 57 quintals per hectare. Bouari emphasized that preliminary data from ongoing harvesting operations indicates that production levels are quite robust, ranging from 15 to 57 quintals per hectare, depending on the region.
As of June 15, the quantities of grains collected have surpassed 100,000 quintals per day during the second week of the month. The regions of Casablanca-Settat, Fes-Meknes, and Marrakech-Safi together account for around 84% of the total quantities harvested. The minister attributed this remarkable achievement to a significant improvement in rainfall, which has accumulated to approximately 571 millimeters by June 12, marking a 94% increase compared to the previous season and a 45% increase from the average of a normal year.
Bouari further indicated that the ministry has taken proactive measures to support the agricultural season, including the provision of 734,000 quintals of certified grain seeds at subsidized prices and ensuring the market is supplied with around 500,000 tons of fertilizers. Additionally, the government continues to implement direct sowing programs and has launched a supplementary irrigation initiative aimed at reaching one million hectares by 2033, alongside expanding agricultural insurance.
According to the minister's estimates, the anticipated grain production is expected to be distributed as follows: 44 million quintals of soft wheat, 21 million quintals of durum wheat, and 25 million quintals of barley. Regarding stock management, he confirmed that the ministry is working to enhance grain storage capacities by establishing new units with a capacity nearing two million quintals and increasing the support percentage for investments directed towards storage infrastructure from 10% to 25%.
The government has also set a reference price for purchasing national soft wheat intended for industrial mills at 280 dirhams per quintal and decided to suspend customs duties on soft wheat imports during June and July 2026. This policy aims to prioritize domestic products and strengthen food security. Furthermore, an agreement between the state and industry stakeholders aims to collect between 15 and 20 million quintals of national soft wheat, along with the establishment of a storage grant amounting to three dirhams per quintal every two weeks. This initiative aspires to build a strategic reserve of local production reaching up to eight million quintals, ensuring that the country’s needs are met for six months instead of just three.
As reported by ar.telquel.ma.
