The National Interprofessional Office for Cereals and Legumes (ONICL) announced, Monday, the extension of government support for soft wheat imports until the end of April 2025. This decision comes in the face of the continuing repercussions of the drought, which has seriously disrupted local wheat supply.
In a press release consulted by Hespress FR, the Office specified that this extension, initially planned until December 2024, was decided after consultation with the Ministry of Economy and Finance as well as that of Agriculture. Additional information will be provided in due course.
Wheat imports into Morocco have seen a significant increase in recent years due to repeated episodes of drought. National cereal production thus reached 31.2 million quintals for the 2023-2024 season, marking a drop of 43% compared to the previous season and around 70% compared to the peak observed during the 2020-2021 agricultural campaign. .
This drastic fall is largely attributed to unfavorable climatic conditions for the third consecutive year, combined with water stress which hit many agricultural regions of the country. Crop losses were particularly severe in the Casablanca-Settat region.
Historically, France has been the main supplier of wheat to Morocco. However, the reduction in its market share to the benefit of Russia, particularly in Algeria, has made the Moroccan market all the more strategic for French exporters. At the same time, declining harvests in France and measures taken by Morocco to encourage competition, such as opening up to cheaper suppliers from the Black Sea region, have allowed Russia to strengthen its presence in the market Moroccan.
In October 2024, the National Federation of Cereals and Legumes Traders of Morocco announced that Russia is expected to become the main supplier of soft wheat for the country in the 2024-2025 season, surpassing France.
In a global grain market where climatic hazards and supply fluctuations are redefining commercial relations, Morocco is resolutely turning to Russia as a strategic partner. This orientation is part of a process of diversifying supply sources, which has become essential to meet the growing needs of the national agri-food sector.
In early December 2024, Eduard Zernin, president of the Russian Union of Grain Exporters and Producers (Rusgrain Union), announced that Russia planned to export around 1 million tonnes of wheat to Morocco for the current season, with the ambition to increase this volume to 1.5 million tonnes in the future. This declaration took place during the signing, in Casablanca, of a memorandum of understanding between the National Federation of Cereals and Legumes Traders (FNCL) and Rusgrain Union. This agreement, for a renewable period of one year, aims to facilitate exports of Russian cereals to Morocco and to consolidate a commercial relationship already in full expansion.
