Amid relative stability in the prices of some foodstuffs, a new threat related to bread, which is one of the basics in the Moroccan table, waves on the horizon. Field reports confirm that this vital substance remains subject to the high price at any moment, due to market fluctuations and the increase in transportation and production costs. Traditional and small bakeries, which constitute the largest percentage of suppliers, are suffering from increased pressure due to the high price of gas and flour, which makes them compelled to think about raising prices, albeit unanimously, by reducing the size of the loaf or reducing its quality to maintain the margin of its profit.
In front of this reality, fears are escalating that any rise in the prices of bread will ignite popular anger, given the position of this material in the daily living of Moroccans, especially among fragile groups. Economists confirm that bread is not just a consumer commodity, but rather an indication of social stability, which requires a proactive intervention by the government to ensure the stability of the market supply, and to tighten control of the production and distribution chain, in order to avoid any confusion that may affect societal balances.
These challenges reflect what the High Commissioner for Planning has recorded in its recent reports, which indicated a slight decline in the inflation rate, without including subsidized basic materials such as wheat and flour. At a time when the prices of vegetables and meat witnessed some decrease, the price of bread remained the same, which raises real questions about the state’s ability to continue to support this vital material, especially in light of the financial pressures and global economic fluctuations that relax in the national market.
High prices
The Hashemite, a bread seller in a popular market in Rabat, said that during the past weeks, the prices of flour have witnessed a slight increase, which was reflected directly on the cost of preparing the bread. She added that most of the young professionals did not raise the price in order to preserve customers, but they resorted to reducing the size of the loaf or relying on less quality flour, noting that the high costs are met by poor purchasing power among citizens, which puts the two parties in front of a difficult equation.
The Hashemite, in her speech to Hespress, indicated that some customers are protesting on the small size of the loaf or changing its taste, without realizing that the sellers in turn face difficulties in covering the costs. She added that the quality of the flour is no longer the same, and its price is at a continuous rise, at a time when it is difficult for young professionals to bear the loss. She pointed out that the continuation of this situation will make good bread a privilege for those who have the ability to pay, while the simple will have to accept less quality or reduce their daily consumption, saying: “Bread has become a luxury.”
The Hashemite emphasized that a number of traditional traditional bakeries have become waving the closure of their stores if the situation continues as it is, stressing that the bread no longer achieves a significant profit margin, but rather has become a heavy burden in light of the escalation of production costs and the absence of any direct support. She explained that whoever bakes a hundred pieces a day only reaps half enough to cover the rental and electricity, saying: “What is not run is.” The government called for urgent intervention to protect this vital sector and maintain the market balance.
Agriculture crisis
Al -Hussein, a farmer in the West region, said that the cultivation of wheat this season was “disappointing”, explaining that the lack of rain and the high cost of production, especially seeds and pesticides, prompted two farmers to reduce the cultivated spaces or abandon them completely. He added that the small farmer became the weakest link in the series; It does not benefit from direct support or agricultural insurance, indicating that agriculture is fraught with risks, even if crops are weak, due to the absence of buyers at fair prices.
Al -Hussein said, in a statement to the electronic newspaper Hespress, that the weak national production will inevitably lead to an increase in the import dependence, which will make the prices of wheat and flour mortgaged by the international market fluctuations. He explained that the current situation requires the state to review its agricultural policy, especially with regard to the support of young farmers and the provision of production requirements at reasonable prices. He also called for investment in watering and storage techniques, to secure food security and reduce the gap between supply and demand in the coming years.
The same farmer affirmed that stability in the prices of bread requires a holistic approach, taking into account the situation of the farmer and the difficult climatic conditions that the country is going through, in addition to the high cost of production. He stressed that the continued ignoring these data will inevitably lead to a gradual rise in the prices of basic materials, foremost of which is bread, calling for the farmer to enable the mechanisms of support, financing and technical keeping up to ensure the abundance and quality of production, in a way that contributes to the stability of the market and avoid any possible social repercussions.
Prices infection
Abdel Qader Fassi Al-Fihri, Professor of Economic Engineering at the Euro-Mediterranean University in Fez, said that analyzing the reality of bread prices in Morocco first requires its placement within what is known as the theory of partial general balance, that is, linking the productive cost to the structural data of the grain and flour market and manufacturing requirements, which are considered in large part related to foreign markets. He added that the emergency increases in bread prices, especially in popular neighborhoods, actually reflect a partial transition of inflationary pressure from one sector to another, which is called in the economy “the effect of inflationary infection”, where the increase is not a direct result of the high cost, as much as an attempt to redistribute the burdens between the actors, especially in light of the decline in the traditional pitching margins compared to production chains The ancients.
Al -Fihri said, in a statement to the electronic newspaper Hespress, that the stability of soft wheat prices in the international market in recent months does not necessarily mean stabilizing the cost of bread production locally, due to complex factors related to transportation costs, energy fluctuations, pressure on supply chains, in addition to the structure of internal support. He indicated that the state’s support for subsidized flour prices includes only a small part of the production directed to consumption, and that bread sold outside the support system has become more subject to the logic of the free market, which makes its price more sensitive to any change in the international economic environment or in the structure of local costs.
The researcher stressed that the sustainable solution to the bread crisis is not only in controlling prices or enhancing support, but also in restructuring the entire agricultural and nutritional value chain, by stimulating investment in high -production varieties, developing the infrastructure for storage and transportation, and legalizing the relationship between farmers, mills and bakeries within what is known as sectoral governance systems. He also stressed the need to create a system of accurate and transparent information about the real cost of bread production, which enables support to the entitled groups and avoid waste, calling for a narrow technical approach to a strategic vision that connects food with social justice and economic stability.
Fassi Al -Fihri concluded his statement by warning that the continuation of dealing with bread as just a normal consumer material loses public policies with its pre -emptive distance in the management of food security, noting that bread represents in economic engineering what is known as the “Produit Sentinlle”, which reveals through its fluctuations wider imbalances at the level of the production system, free justice, and the redistribution of income. He stressed that any effective policy in this regard must be based on an accurate equation between social fairness, economic effectiveness, and resource sustainability, within a comprehensive vision that is considered a lever of sovereignty, not just a commodity subject to the law of supply and demand.
#Baking #makers #struggling #market #fluctuations #high #costs #Morocco