In the south of Morocco or even towards the northeast, the sailors led several strikes to express their anger vis-à-vis the vertiginous rise in fuel prices and the policy of ” deaf ears adopted by the government in response to this situation.
Questioned within the hemicycle on the possibility of capping prices at the pump for maritime fishing professionals, the Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests, Mohamed Sadiki, ruled out this possibility, considering that fuel prices have been subject to the principle of supply and demand at national level since its liberalization in 2015.
In response to a question from the deputy of the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP), El Mehdi Al Fathemy, the Minister of Agriculture acknowledged that many coastal fishing vessels have interrupted their activity in several ports of the Kingdom due to of rising fuel prices, indicating that the reason is none other than the war in Ukraine and its effects on the countries’ economies.
In this sense, Mohamed Sadiki explained that since 1985, and in accordance with the requirements of Decree 2.85.890, the fishing sector has benefited from total exemption from customs duties and all other duties and taxes for fuels, fuels and lubricants. consumed during maritime navigation.
Moreover, over the period 2010-2016, the value of fuel consumption for deep-sea fishing constituted more than 52% of the overall value of fuel consumption for the fishing sector, which amounted to 12, 6 billion dirhams, can we read in the Plan Halieutis 2010-16.
This total exemption from DD and all other duties and taxes on fuels thus supports the productivity and profitability of the maritime fishing sector, underlines Sadiki, noting that the support currently allocated to land transport professionals is only an exceptional measure. .
Earlier in an interaction with questions about the threat that hydrocarbons pose to the productivity of the fishing sector in Morocco, Mohamed Sadiki admitted “thee lack of capacity to provide support to professionals“, noting that ” based on what is available -financially-, transport professionals have been supported to cope with the high cost of fuel“.
In protest against the high cost of prices at the pump, sailors in several Moroccan ports, including Mahdia, Casablanca, Safi, Essaouira and some southern ports, observed a series of successive strikes at the end of December 2022, demanding government intervention. to put an end to the exhaustion of their expenses.
To demonstrate this weakening of income, sailors and fishermen cited the example of a 4-day outing at sea, which currently costs them 30,000 dirhams of fuel for ships equipped with an engine. 300 horsepowerwhereas previously it only cost 12,000 dirhams.
Thus, maritime fishing professionals denounce the government’s “negligence” towards the sector, believing that despite its problems, it plays an important role in setting the country’s economic wheel in motion without any support, unlike other countries. other sectors. In this sense, they are calling for a cap on the price of diesel in favor of the fishing sector.
For some time now, maritime fishing professionals have been experiencing a difficult social situation in the various ports of Morocco, given the exponential rise in prices, particularly of fuel, which constitutes the backbone of the maritime fishing process, argued the National Union of Fishing Officers and Seamen.
It should be noted that on the eve of the 6th Halieutis Fair, scheduled for February 1 to 5 in Agadir, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests (Department of Maritime Fisheries ), Zakia Driouich, recognized that the maritime fishing sector occupies an important place in the landscape of the national economy and constitutes an essential vector of socio-economic development in Morocco.
With these strengths, the Moroccan fisheries sector contributes around 2% of the national GDP, she said in press statements, noting that in 2021, fisheries production reached 1.42 million tonnes (MT) for a value of approximately 15.1 billion dirhams (MMDH), corresponding to an increase, both in volume (+3%) and in value (+35%) compared to the year 2020.
Similarly, she said, the sector drains significant currencies through its exports totaling 25.54 billion dirhams in 2021 with a volume of 818,000 T, a new record in terms of value, despite the health crisis. of covid-19.