Rabat – Morocco will resume imports of soft wheat on September 16 as the country faces lower stocks and a shortage of locally collected wheat, SNRTnews reported on Saturday.
The government will introduce a system to compensate wheat importers for the difference between international prices and the price at which wheat is supplied to mills. The measure will apply from September 16 to December 31.
The decision follows a three-month halt in soft wheat imports that began on June 1. The pause was intended to give local farmers more time to sell their wheat and increase domestic stocks.
However, only around six million quintals of soft wheat have been collected so far, according to Moulay Abdelkader Alaoui, president of the National Federation of Milling. The amount covers only about 12% of the mills’ annual needs.
Alaoui told SNRTnews that resuming imports had become necessary because stocks built by importers before the suspension had gradually been used up. He said new shipments are expected to arrive from September 16, with mills expected to start building new stocks in late September and early October.
The government will cover the difference between the international price and the price paid by mills. Alaoui said soft wheat currently costs around MAD 285 ($30.9) per quintal on international markets, while mills receive it at MAD 270 ($29.3), leaving a gap of about MAD 14.5 to MAD 15 ($1.6).
The subsidy will apply to wheat shipments loaded from September 16, with the amount changing depending on international prices.
The government had hoped to collect around 15 million quintals of local wheat, but the target now appears unlikely to be reached, according to the federation.
