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Rabat — Morocco has introduced a new support system for importing soft wheat starting next year, from January 1 to April 30.
The new system, part of a joint decision by the Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Agriculture, aims to offer financial help to traders, cooperatives, and flour mills that import soft wheat.
According to a circular published by the National Interprofessional Office for Cereals and Legumes on Wednesday, the lump sum payment corresponds to the difference between the average cost price at the port for the month and the price of MAD 270 per quintal.
The average cost price used for this calculation is the average of the two lowest cost prices from different countries including Germany, Argentina, France, and the US — as long as the difference between the lowest two prices is not more than MAD 30 per quintal.
The system exclusively concerns quantities of soft milling wheat imported by stockholding bodies such as grain and legume traders as well as industrial flour mills.
“Quantities committed within the framework of this circular and loaded after April 30, 2025, for reasons of force majeure will benefit from the refund applied in April 2025,” the circular said.
Reports said that Morocco’s 2024 wheat harvest will decline by approximately 50%, due the ongoing drought and lack of rainfall.
To tackle the crisis, Morocco returned to importing wheat from different partners, including Russia.
Elena Tyurina, head of the analytical department at the Russian Grain Union, has stated that Morocco imported 222,000 tons of wheat from Russia from November 1-20. This shows a notable increase compared to 119,000 tons during the same period in 2023.
This jump demonstrates Morocco’s growing reliance on Russian wheat as it seeks to stabilize its food supply amid a struggling local harvest.
Earlier this month, Russian reports said that the country seeks to supply Morocco with one million tons of wheat this season.
Russia’s wheat exports to Morocco have so far amounted to 650,000 million tons since the start of the 2024-2025 season, making the North African country one of the global top 10 buyers of Russian wheat.
