With the advent of the holy month of Ramadan, the prices of widely consumed food products are practically all experiencing a price spike. Small consolation, faced with this significant increase in the prices of these products, the authorities have reassured about the supply of the markets.
Indeed, the Minister of Economy and Finance, Nadia Fettah Alaoui had told MoroccoLatestNews that the government had taken several proactive and forward-looking measures aimed at ensuring suitable conditions for consumers to meet their needs during the holy month. . Very nice, but still it is necessary that he has the means.
Because let it be said, these sneaky increases that have been recorded for more than a year already have affected the purchasing power of Moroccan citizens, which should also alert. The household budget in terms of food products generally remains unchanged and once it is fixed it will not be increased to the detriment of rent, health transport, etc. Also, for its balance, we will deprive ourselves of some foodstuffs (less meat, vegetables… in the daily menus and particularly in this month of high consumption.
However, according to the High Commission for Planning (HCP), the consumer price index for food products increased by 5.5% in February and inflation is expected to reach 4.7% this year. The consumer price index increased by 0.6% in February 2022 compared to the previous month.
This variation is the result of the 1.0% increase in the index of food products and 0.3% in the index of non-food products. The increases in food products observed between January and February 2022 mainly concern “Bread and cereals” with 2.9%, “Oils and fats” with 1.5%, “Vegetables” with 1.0%, “Fruits with 0.5% as well as “Milk, cheese and eggs” with 0.4%.
On the other hand, prices fell by 0.1% for “Fish and seafood”. For non-food products, the increase mainly concerned “Fuel” prices with 5.7%. The largest increases in the CPI were recorded in Marrakech with 1.3%, in Fez and Tangier with 1.1%, in Oujda with 0.9%, in Guelmim and Beni-Mellal with 0.8% and in Kenitra, Rabat and Tetouan with 0.7%. On the other hand, a drop was recorded in Casablanca and Errachidia with 0.1%. These figures obviously do not take into account the crisis in Ukraine which arose at the end of February and which caused prices to explode at a dizzying pace.
Admittedly, the increase is a customary phenomenon during this sacred month, but this year, the economic situation is ruthless in its aggravating trend due to an unprecedented Lady Covid pandemic, the Ukrainian crisis which we do not know where it will lead us, drought ravaging the Moroccan economy and other miseries such as rising fuel prices, never seen before. This difficult situation has an impact on the housewife’s basket on the eve of the start of the month of Ramadan and the ordeal of the latter, only becomes more real in the face of a spiral of constant rise in prices and the surge continues food prices in recent years.
This is because the prices of fruits and vegetables, meats and other products in high demand during the month of fasting have increased and sometimes sharply, such as the highly prized tomato for “harira”.
In these circumstances, in many families, we will be far from the copious “ftour” of the past in view of the soaring prices of basic products. This reality, which is not unique to the Kingdom, threatens to crush the budgets of households and even of certain governments. However, with regard to the stalls in Morocco, all the products are bathed in abundance. To believe that everything seems to be going for the best for this sacred month that started on Sunday April 3.
But this atmosphere is weighed down by the high prices of basic necessities. In one year, the price of a can of oil has practically doubled, flour is badly needed, the same goes for legumes, vegetables, poultry, eggs, milk, we regret. And if it’s all the better for the followers of the wasp waist because fewer calories, for the others it means that they will have to tighten their belts by one more buckle for this holy month. Happy Ramadan anyway!
.