Morocco Considers Olive Oil Imports as Domestic Prices Soar

According to these players in the olive oil sector, the import of olives "is inevitable". It should make it possible to "offset the drop in production and make the price of olive oil accessible to the Moroccan consumer". "The weakness of the olive harvest expected this year will undoubtedly lead the Moroccan market to turn to the import of this essential raw material," confirmed Rachid Benali, president of the Moroccan Interprofessional Federation of Olive, to Hespress, however inviting the Ministry of Agriculture not to "encourage" imports and to "limit" the quantities of imported olives.

"The expected rise in olive oil prices is an inevitable consequence of the effects of the drought on the productivity of olive trees, and not due to speculation or monopolization by professionals. Therefore, resorting to imports would only aggravate the situation of Moroccan olive growers, whose productivity will fall to unprecedented levels this year due to this drought," explained Benali, calling to support "farmers whose activities have already been affected by these last six years." "How will they live, knowing that the majority of them are small farmers, if imports are allowed?" he asked.

The professional also urged the Moroccan consumer to "support the expected increase in the price of olive oil, especially since its cost will remain low if we consider directly the quantity consumed by each individual. On the other hand, the situation of farmers will deteriorate with each ton of imported olives." For Benali, "imports should only be a temporary solution in case of necessity, because this option would push many farmers to turn to other activities, which could leave us, in the future, with a sector almost devoid of professionals, even if climatic conditions improve."