Moroccan Fuel Prices Drop as Global Oil Markets Ease

Since Monday, January 8, Moroccans are paying less at the pump. The price of diesel has dropped by about 6 cents, while that of gasoline has seen a drop of about 9 cents. The reason for this drop in pump prices is the continued easing of oil product prices on international markets. These drops will be less significant at service stations in certain cities of the kingdom due to the cost of transportation and distance. Diesel was around 13.33 dirhams per liter at the end of December and gasoline cost around 14.52 dirhams per liter at service stations.

Faced with soaring prices, the government of Aziz Akhannouch has been providing direct financial assistance to freight and passenger carriers of all categories (taxis, buses, trucks, road tractors, etc.) since 2022. The financial envelope amounts to more than 5 billion dirhams. To mitigate the surge in prices, Houssine El Yamani, secretary general of the National Union of Oil and Gas Industries under the CDT, advocates the temporary suspension of the liberalization of fuel prices until fair competition conditions are established, the reactivation of the activities of the Moroccan Refining Company (Samir), in order to preserve the national heritage, the reevaluation of the taxation of fuels to align it with international standards, as well as the modernization of the regulatory framework of the oil sector and the establishment of a national energy agency.