The maritime crisis, since the spread of the coronavirus, continues to have a heavy impact on Morocco and its inhabitants, starting with a surge in the prices of basic necessities.
It is a real headache for public decision-makers and private operators, the effects of which will also be felt on the purchasing power of citizens. Who says rise in raw materials, says rise in the prices of final products, in all sectors, including basic necessities.
An increase not without consequence which is explained by those of containers resulting from a maritime crisis caused by the spread of the coronavirus, as confirmed by MoroccoLatestNews FR, the general secretary of the Union of traders and professionals of Derb Omar, Said Farah.
“The cost of maritime transport is only increasing, the container which cost from 30,000 to 40,000 dirhams now amounts to 200,000, 250,000 dirhams, which naturally pushed the prices of basic necessities to soar. “, he explained.
Indeed, before the pandemic, the price of China-Morocco sea freight for a 40-foot container was around 40,000 to 50,000 dirhams. With the dizzying rise in prices, operators have found themselves paying at least 200,000 DH per container, and losses are starting to be felt among Moroccan traders and operators. It is also a handicap for several industries which find themselves in the background.
“There are two problems that affect professionals in the sector, namely the lack of social security and the increase in container costs, without forgetting the customs nor does not compensate for the losses since it is also increasing”, he regrets.
“We cannot encourage sectors like industry since inputs come from abroad and there are several factors that come into play, unlike China, for example, which does not need to spend from outside in order to expand its industry ”, he added.
Moreover, the impact of the increase in maritime transport costs resulting from the surge in container rental prices will be felt both for imports and exports. Concretely, this will affect the competitiveness of exported products and make those bought abroad more expensive.
“The increase in container prices concerns more particularly those of China, but also those of Europe. The surge in basic necessities has not only had an impact in Morocco but also everywhere in the world, since the spread of the coronavirus ”, analyzes, for his part, the president of the Union of traders and professionals of Derb Omar, Aziz Bounou.
It is true that the epidemic recovery in Asia which has placed several large ports under sanitary restrictions, some of which are active in all the markets of the planet. Hence the ripple effect on the majority of port enclosures.
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