Rabat – Morocco has announced that its soft wheat reserves will cover a period of four to five months.
The head of the National Federation of Mills Moulay Abdelkader Alaoui announced the news on Wednesday, while expressing satisfaction and optimism with the data on the country’s reserves.
Alaoui also announced that this stockpile will be improved through the import of 25 million quintals of wheat from the period of July to September 30.
Alaoui also commented on Morocco’s supply markets, stressing Russia’s importance as one of the key suppliers of wheat and cereals.
The federation’s president told Moroccan state media outlet SNRTNews that reopening doors for imports from Russia will contribute to strengthening Morocco’s position as well as diversifying its sources in terms of wheat imports.
Morocco exited the Russian market in February 2022 following the start of the war in Ukraine, he added.
In June, The National Professional Office for Grains published a circular providing that a program will support importers on a monthly basis covering the difference between the cost of wheat and the reference import price of $27 per quintal.
The program has been benefiting people who sought to import wheat from Russia, Ukraine, France, Germany, Argentina, and the US.
It also concerns the quantities of wheat planned to be imported by storage institutions like grain and legume unions.
However, earlier this month the National Interprofessional Office of Cereals and Legumes announced that it is revising down grain subsidies for imported wheat.
This comes as Morocco continues recovering from a severe drought recorded last year.
Despite the recovery, Morocco’s cereal production has been witnessing significant changes in the past few years.
Last year, Morocco reported that its final production of its main cereals dropped to 34 million quintals in this agricultural season, a decrease of 67% compared to the previous campaign.
New data, however, indicates a recovery in the cereal sector in the coming years.
Data from the Global Agricultural Information Network, published by the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the US Department of Agriculture, said that Morocco is expected to produce approximately 3 million tonnes of common wheat, 1 million tonnes of durum wheat, and 1.3 million tonnes of barley during the upcoming year
