Moroccan MPs push marketing reform to bring down food prices
Lawmakers say some produce doubles or triples in price after leaving wholesale markets, with losses on tomatoes and potatoes reaching around 30%.
Moroccan lawmakers on Thursday pressed for changes to how farm produce is marketed and distributed, and for tighter oversight of middlemen, as food prices dominated debate on the Agriculture Ministry's draft 2027 budget. During a meeting of the House of Representatives' Productive Sectors Committee, parliamentary groups blamed weak links in the distribution chain for much of the gap between what farmers receive and what consumers pay.
Ahmed El Abbadi, head of the Progress and Socialism group, said cutting the number of intermediaries and curbing speculation were essential to lower prices. He cited a parliamentary fact-finding mission on agricultural marketing, which found that some products double or triple in price after leaving wholesale markets, while losses on tomatoes and potatoes reach around 30%. He called for investment in packaging, storage and refrigeration.
The Istiqlal group urged a production policy based on annual and medium-term supply and demand forecasts, and more cereals, legumes, seeds and fodder crops. It said agricultural exports should not undermine Morocco's food and water security.
Why it mattersConsumers face higher prices for produce, while farmers take losses from spoilage and weak storage, so changes to the distribution chain would affect both.