Inflation alert: prices of sardines and chicken are soaring (again)

The price surge continues despite the measures taken and the announcements made. It's everyday Assaba which reports this situation in its edition of Tuesday, December 17. While red meats continue to be sold at around 120 dirhams per kilogram, the price of chicken is also experiencing a significant increase, reaching 26 dirhams per kilogram. Sellers and consumers point the finger at the supervisory authority – the Ministry of Agriculture – as well as the government, incapable of controlling the evolution of prices.

The owners of large farms are also held responsible, who are now imposing their conditions, while small operators are gradually withdrawing from this activity, due to lack of profitability and state support.

Sardines are not spared from this outbreak. Their price is currently 20 dirhams per kilogram, after reaching 30 dirhams recently. This increase is attributed to weather hazards, a drop in fishing yield and a decline in stocks.

It should be remembered that coastal and artisanal fishing landings at the port of Safi – one of the main suppliers of the sardine market – recorded a drop of 15% during the first eleven months of the current year, reaching 46,308 tonnes compared to 54,761 tonnes during the same period a year earlier, according to the National Fisheries Office (ONP).

The market value of these products increased by 5% at the end of last November, amounting to 291.5 million dirhams, compared to 277.7 million dirhams at the same period in 2023, specifies the ONP in its latest report on coastal and artisanal fishing statistics in Morocco.

Nationally, products from coastal and artisanal fishing recorded an increase of 6% in value, reaching nearly 10 billion dirhams during the first eleven months of 2024.

On the other hand, the total weight of these products stood at 1,233,568 tonnes, down 1% compared to the end of November 2023.