The editorial staff of “Barlamane.com”
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12:27 – January 1, 2025
The government will continue to liberalize butane gas prices. After a first increase in May 2024, which brought the price of 12 kg bottles to 50 dirhams, a new increase of 10 dirhams is planned. This reform, intended to reorganize the subsidy system, however, raises fears of direct consequences on the daily lives of the most vulnerable households.
Mustapha Baitas, government spokesperson, remained evasive on the precise date of this new increase. In a recent statement, he simply stated that the government “would communicate at the appropriate time”a response which does little to reassure families already faced with soaring prices of basic products.
According to the government, reform of the compensation system has become inevitable. The current cost of subsidies, which reaches 65 dirhams per gas bottle, weighs heavily on public finances. Nadia Fettah, Minister of Economy and Finance, explained that this system “largely benefits non-priority sectors such as agriculture which absorbs 60% of national consumption.” For her, “it is crucial to refocus aid on those who really need it.”
But for many, these explanations struggle to convince. The increase in the price of gas, even gradual, could jeopardize the fragile economic balance of many families, particularly in rural areas where gas remains essential for cooking or heating. Low-income households, who often have no alternatives, risk being hit hard by these adjustments.
This reform, which promises lengthy parliamentary debates, raises an essential question: how to reduce the burden of subsidies without sacrificing the purchasing power of the most precarious citizens? To date, no concrete measures have been announced to support this transition. Households therefore fear finding themselves alone in the face of price increases which add to already sharply increasing expenses. In this context, “Price liberalization appears to be a risky approach. If it can help to reduce public finances, it could, on the other hand, widen inequalities and further weaken the most vulnerable categories.warns the opposition.
