Morocco Gas Bottle Fraud: Consumers Short-Changed as Subsidy Cuts Fuel Deception

This practice, which consists of reducing the weight of gas contained in the bottles, has intensified following the government’s decision to partially reduce the subsidy granted on this product.

In a written question addressed to the Minister of Industry and Trade, Ryad Mezzour, Ms. Abakrim draws attention to this worrying phenomenon. She points to an alarming fraud rate, ranging between 10 and 25% of the declared weight. This situation, which heavily penalizes consumers, raises questions about the weakening of quality control of consumer products on Moroccan markets.

Faced with this reality, the parliamentarian calls on the minister about the measures his department intends to implement to curb this fraud and protect the rights of citizens, demanding concrete actions to strengthen the monitoring of the weight of gas bottles and guarantee consumers a product that complies with the announced standards and quantities.

The reduction of the state subsidy on butane gas bottles in 2024 will result in an increase of 2.5 dirhams for the small format and 10 dirhams for the large bottle. This increase, a source of discontent for part of the population, comes in parallel with the deployment of the direct social support program.

According to the authorities, this program, which has already reached 3.6 million families last April, is based on a "more efficient targeting" of eligible families, identified through the unified social register.