Coffee Crisis Looms: Morocco Braces for Price Surge as Global Markets Fluctuate

The Moroccan Observatory for Consumer Protection believes that the increases in coffee prices on world markets are explained by fluctuations in world coffee markets, particularly after the drop in exports from Brazil, as the world’s leading coffee producer, due to trade tensions with certain countries. In a statement, the Observatory calls on the competent authorities, in particular the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, to intervene urgently to regulate coffee prices on the local market and ensure that these fluctuations are not exploited to unjustifiably increase prices.

For the Observatory, it is necessary to launch awareness campaigns for consumers on their rights and ways to cope with rising prices, as well as to publish periodic reports to highlight this phenomenon and the risks of its exploitation, while exerting media pressure on the responsible authorities. It also called for the preparation of legal cases against offenders for exploiting the situation or for monopolistic practices, and to report them to the competent judicial authorities, in addition to joint work with consumer protection associations and institutions in order to strengthen pressure and control.

While assuring that it would continue to follow the evolution of this file, the Observatory says it reserves the right to take all necessary legal and media measures to defend the rights of consumers. It recalls that it had worked to continuously monitor coffee prices on local, regional and global markets, and opened communication channels with citizens and consumers to collect complaints and observations concerning the rise in prices. It had also addressed requests to the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Industry and the competent authorities to present reports on the situation and take control measures.