Olive Oil Prices in Morocco: A Spectacular Drop Spoiled?

In the Ouezzane region, production prices currently fluctuate between 55 and 60 dirhams per liter, influenced by the extraction method and logistics costs. The owner of a local mill notes that the yield reaches 15 to 16 liters per quintal, or even 18 liters in some areas favored by climatic conditions.

The price of the raw material follows this downward trend, with the kilogram of olives selling for between 6 and 6.5 dirhams. In the markets, the supply varies according to the manufacturing process, with an overall range of 55 to 75 dirhams, although some areas display floor prices close to 45 dirhams.

Mixtures with Vegetable Oils and Dyes

This regained accessibility must not mask the health risks. The Moroccan Observatory for Consumer Protection is concerned about the proliferation of adulterated oils, often diluted with cheap vegetable oils or added with chemical dyes to deceive buyers about the taste and smell.

These dubious products, sold in plastic bottles without labeling on the roadside or in popular markets, escape any control and violate food safety regulations.

Faced with this threat to public health and the reputation of the national terroir, the organization is calling for tighter monitoring at all levels of the supply chain, from production to marketing. It calls for the closure of clandestine units and the acceleration of laboratory analyses on suspicious batches.

Consumers are urged to be extremely vigilant and to favor formal channels with ONSSA approval, in order to avoid the health complications that particularly threaten children and vulnerable people.