Morocco’s Cafe and Restaurant Industry Seeks Government Aid Amid COVID-19 Crisis

"When we closed our businesses, 40 to 50% of the professionals in the sector found themselves with nothing, because they were entirely dependent on daily income," confides to H24 info, Noureddine Harrak, president of the National Association of Cafe and Restaurant Owners (ANPCR). According to him, 10,000 professionals in the sector are living in precariousness, and many of them are in debt. Added to this is the situation of employees not declared to the CNSS, caused by the legislation governing the sector.

"The State has increased the charges on the sector, which are also imposed upstream and not on profits. [...] We have complained several times to the Ministry of Labor, because if we were to declare all our employees and pay all the charges imposed on us, it would represent up to 180% of our income, which is illogical. It is therefore impossible for us to honor all these charges," explains Noureddine Harrak.

In order to revive the sector, "the State must take its responsibilities in hand, by supporting these small and medium-sized enterprises that employ more than a million people," he says. Otherwise, 30 to 40% of businesses will not be able to reopen. "The sector is in a vegetative state. A rescue plan will therefore be needed that will even extend beyond the resumption, because to straighten out the sector, we will need at least a year," concludes the president of the ANPCR.