Faced with the decline in the flour harvest in Morocco and the weakness of foreign supplies, professionals in the bakery-pastry sector have decided to free themselves from the reference price of bread, on the grounds that “bread is liberalized” and “professionals have the right to seek a profit margin“.
After India suspended the export of staple grains, the price of wheat surged in international markets, marking a rise in the benchmark wheat index of about 5.9% in Chicago, or the highest level in two months.
Morocco imports annually, particularly from the United States of America, France, Ukraine and Canada, between 60 and 75 million quintals of cereals, including soft and durum wheat, barley and corn. .
It is expected that the production of common wheat, durum wheat and barley for the 2022/2021 agricultural campaign will decrease by 32 million quintals, i.e. a drop of 69% compared to the previous campaign which posted a record. of production.
President of the Federal Council of the Moroccan Federation of Bakeries and Pastries, Noureddine Lafif told MoroccoLatestNews that ” the government subsidizes soft wheat imports. But no one guarantees its fate or the types of flour that are extracted from it”noting that “support benefits everyone”.
In a statement toMoroccoLatestNewsNoureddine Lafif explained his idea by saying that “the ordinary citizen who buys flour in grocery stores and commercial spaces benefits from this support, in addition to certain biscuit factories, pastry shops and industrial bakeries which produce many types of unfinished bread or even Pizza shops” .
“Previously, it was called national soft wheat flour (FNBT), which was specified at 100 dirhams per 50-kilogram bag. This no longer exists now, and bakeries are not allowed to operate with it, as this process has been directed to specific areas and certain fragile categories in certain areas“, he explained.
Thus, Noureddine Lafif recalled that the Moroccan Federation of Bakeries and Pastries previously published the “Marrakech Manifesto“, in which it announced the release of the reference price of bread, in accordance with the law on prices and competition, and in accordance with the decree of moderation of 1988, and taking into account the successive increases in the products used in the manufacture of bread and its rising cost, and rising social costs for workers.
The same professional estimated that “bread is liberalized“, and “professionals have the right to seek a profit margin, or at least to cover expenses“, noting that”the government remains silent and justifies it by subsidizing cereals, when this is support that goes to those who are not entitled to it and increases the state budget without the professionals concerned benefit from it”.
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