Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – Morocco’s Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch has said his cabinet is making significant efforts to preserve citizens’ purchasing power.
Akhannouch made his remark amid uproar from citizens regarding the surge in prices Moroccan markets have been experiencing over the past weeks.
Citizens have been taking to social media to vent their frustration, with many using government-criticizing hashtags to denounce rising prices of commodities, including cooking oil, among other products.
The concerns come just a month ahead of Ramadan, the month of fasting in which many Moroccans will be buying specialty food products to improve their preparation for long fasting hours.
Akahnnouch held a meeting on Tuesday night with the government coalition, convening his party National Rally of Independents (RNI), the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), and Al Istiqlal Party (PI).
Following the meeting, Akhannouch said the government is making efforts to keep prices stable, including by subsidizing a number of “basic goods and services, the prices of which have risen sharply on the international market.”
He said the government allocates annual subsidies of MAD 17 billion ($1.80 billion) for butane gas and MAD 14 billion ($1.48 billion) for electricity.
Akhannouch added that the government also put in place subsidies of MAD 600 million ($63.59 million) per month for flour and MAD 3 billion ($317.99 million) per year for sugar despite “the difficult international context imposed by COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in the price of oil and other raw materials.”
“The government will strive to deal with the difficulties encountered by transport professionals due to the increase in international fuel prices,” Akhannouch said, adding that dialogue will take place with the representatives of professionals in the field to find solutions.
Abdellatif Ouahbi, Secretary-General of PAM, echoed Akhannouch remarks, saying that Morocco is currently facing challenges related to low rainfall and rising oil and gas prices internationally.
“Several initiatives have been taken to ease the economic pressure on citizens,” Ouahbi said, adding that decisions will be submitted to the government for implementation.
Nizar Baraka, the head of the PI party, said that the launch of an exceptional rural support program with a MAD 10 billion ($1 billion) budget will mitigate the effects of delayed rainfall.
He said that the initiative will improve the living conditions of the rural population and will mitigate the repercussions of climate challenges impacting agricultural production.
Last week, King Mohammed VI launched a MAD 10 billion ($1 billion) program to face the implications of the ongoing drought. The program will also serve farmers affected by the unproductive season.
