Morocco’s Mask Surplus: 26 Million Reusable Face Coverings Await Export Amid Global Demand Slump

To fight the Covid-19 pandemic, Morocco has made 15 million masks, while allocating 50% for export. But now the stocks are accumulating, exacerbated by reduced orders worldwide. Faced with this situation, the Minister of Industry wishes to relaunch textile exports, with Spain, Italy and Germany as the main targets, reports L’Économiste.

In addition to masks, gowns and overalls, the State wants to revive exports of the usual items, namely pants and shirts, in order to adapt to the work environment, while promising to support all industries in compliance with citizen protection. Meanwhile, textile specialists are concerned about the drop in demand. For the record, their sector mobilized to produce nearly 35 million reusable fabric masks. The factories had to be converted to supply Morocco and export to other countries facing a shortage of masks. But today, these factories are approaching overproduction.

Also, some Moroccans are opting for disposable masks that they do not hesitate to reuse rather as an accessory and not as a barrier measure while the Covid-19 pandemic is declining. Thus, more than 26 million reusable masks are currently stored in Moroccan factories. This represents a market value of around 30 million euros for export.

To help textile professionals sell these stocks, the State is setting up a commission comprising the Department of Industry and Trade, AMDIE and Amith. Its role is to promote the export of masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE). Concretely, a platform for connecting Moroccan industrialists and international buyers will be launched.

This platform is responsible for intensifying promotion in target markets such as Spain, Germany and Italy, and boosting communication on the availability of masks in Morocco. Producers hope to see a return on investment. Still, they have to face Chinese competition. While the demand for medical masks exploded during the epidemic, Asian stocks are now more accessible, and Moroccan masks are necessarily less competitive than those from Asia, the same media notes.