Moroccan Olive Oil Prices Soar, Sparking Consumer Concerns

Bouazza Kherrati, president of the Moroccan Federation of Consumer Rights, interviewed by Hespress, denounces the role of intermediaries who, according to him, are causing a price increase well beyond that resulting from a limited supply, already impacted by successive droughts. However, he welcomes Morocco’s initiative to import olive oil from Brazil to diversify its supply sources and counter speculation. Brazilian olive oil indeed offers more "reasonable" prices than that from Spain or Italy, countries also affected by the shortage.

Ali Chtour, president of the Moroccan Association for the Defense of Consumer Rights, points the finger at speculators who are taking advantage of the crisis related to the droughts to "inflame" the market and control prices. He calls on the government to strengthen controls and severely punish anyone attempting to manipulate prices to the detriment of the citizen.

Several factors explain this price surge: repeated droughts, rising temperatures, the destruction of olive groves due to climate change, the spread of diseases, and the increase in the cost of fertilizers and pesticides. All these elements force producers to raise their prices to offset their losses.

Faced with this situation, Ali Chtour encourages support for small and medium-sized farmers, particularly through training and access to modern tools such as drip irrigation, to optimize production and reduce costs. He also calls on consumers to be vigilant and warns them against the purchase of olive oil of dubious origin, sold on the street, at the risk of exposing themselves to health problems. "Everyone must be responsible for themselves and their family, large or small," he insists.

The Minister of Agriculture, Ahmed El Bouari, announced a decrease in olive production of 11% compared to the previous year, and 40% compared to a normal year. Olive oil production is expected to reach 950,000 tons this year. The minister assured that measures would be taken to regulate the market, particularly in terms of imports and exports.