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Fez – Less than two months after recording unprecedented increases, fuel prices in Morocco are again expected to reach new heights starting today, June 15.
As of this Wednesday, the price of a liter of diesel stands at MAD 15 ($1,49), while gasoline has reached the MAD 18 ($1.79) mark, an unprecedented record for the widely traded commodity in Morocco.
According to the Moroccan economy-focused news outlet LesEco, gasoline prices are expected to exceed MAD 18.27 ($1.81) per liter on Thursday, while diesel prices will stand at MAD 15.5 ($1,54) per liter.
Fuel prices have been surging since April, causing uproar among car drivers and transport professionals who have continuously called for government intervention.
Meanwhile, the Moroccan government has occasionally stressed that the recent increase is directly related to the current global context, namely the COVID-induced disruptions and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis.
Nadia Fettah Alaoui, Minister of Economy and Finance, said last week that the repercussions of the interminable war in Ukraine have deeply affected the prices of numerous prices in Morocco, notably fuel prices.
Speaking in response to a verbal inquiry at the House of Representatives, Alaoui outlined that the government has taken several steps to counter and mitigate the sudden surge in prices.
“Regarding fuel prices, the government decided to subsidize the transportation sector. This measure has reduced inflation rates in our country,” the minister argued.
Amid the global increase in fuel prices, the Moroccan government decided in April to launch a support program in favor of transport professionals.
Read also: Diesel Price in Morocco Exceeds Gasoline for the First Time
The government allocated over MAD 300 million ($30 million) for this special program in order to cover fuel expenses.
However, workers in the transport sector have criticized the government for failing to give them their share of the subsidies.
As the Ministry of Transport and Logistics announced a third wave of subsidies on June 8, union activists complained that many workers did not receive the monetary support from the first and second phases of the government’s support scheme for transport professionals.
Workers also took issue with the fact that the subsidies do not adequately cover the rise in fuel prices that the world has experienced lately.
In March, diesel prices surpassed that of gasoline for the first time ever in Morocco.
On March 31, the price of a liter of diesel stood at MAD 14.31 ($1.48), while gasoline reached MAD 14.20 ($1.47) per liter.
Fuel prices have been one of the most-talked-about issues in Morocco recently, with many urging the government to intervene and subsidize this highly required commodity.
