World Grain - December 2021 - 18

COUNTRY FOCUS
KEY FACTS
FOCUS ON
MOROCCO
Grain imports forecast to drop in 2021-22
as big crop expected
by Chris Lyddon
Despite a location on the edge of the enormous Sahara Desert,
parts of Morocco are rainy and well suited to producing grains.
However, the climate is variable and, with a national diet in
which wheat plays an important role, the country is a major
importer. It is an important customer of French exporters and
enjoys a close political relationship with the European Union.
The International Grains Council (IGC) puts Morocco's total
grains production in 2021-22 at 11.1 million tonnes, up from 3.4
million in 2020-21. Wheat production rose to 8.1 million tonnes
from the previous year's 2.6 million, while 2021-22 output of
barley was up at 2.8 million tonnes from 2020-21's 600,000
tonnes.
Morocco's total grains imports are set to fall to 7.0 million
tonnes, from 8.4 million in 2020-21. Wheat imports are put at
4.4 million tonnes in the current season, down from the previous
year's 5.1 million. Corn imports in 2021-22 are predicted
to fall to 2.3 million tonnes, down from 2.9 million. Imports
of barley will fall slightly, to 400,000 tonnes from
500,000 last year.
In a Sept. 13 update, the USDA attaché
provided official estimates.
" On July 26, 2021, the Government
of Morocco released
its final wheat and barley
production numbers for the
2021 crop (5.06 million
tonnes of common wheat,
2.48 million tonnes of durum
wheat, and 2.78 million
tonnes of barley), "
they said. " This harvest
performance is mainly due
to abundant rainfall during
the growing season, which
was 32% higher than the previous
year, " the attaché explained.
" The growing regions of Chaouia,
18
Capital: Rabat
Population: 36,561,813 (July 2021 est.)
Religions: Muslim 99% (official; virtually all Sunni,
<0.1% Shia), other 1% (includes Christian, Jewish,
and Baha'i); note - Jewish about 6,000 (2010 est.).
Location: Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic
Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between
Algeria and Mauritania.
Government: Parliamentary constitutional monarchy.
Chief of state: King Mohammed VI (since July
30, 1999); head of government: Prime Minister SaadEddine
al-Athmani (Since March 17, 2017)
Economy: Morocco has capitalized on its proximity
to Europe and relatively low labor costs to work
towards building a diverse, open, market-oriented
economy. Key sectors of the economy include agriculture,
tourism, aerospace, automotive, phosphates,
textiles, apparel, and subcomponents.
Morocco has increased investment in its port, transportation,
and industrial infrastructure to position
itself as a center and broker for business throughout
Africa. Industrial development strategies and infrastructure
improvements - most visibly illustrated
by a new port and free trade zone near Tangier -
are improving Morocco's competitiveness. In the
1980s, Morocco was a heavily indebted country
before pursuing austerity measures and pro-market
reforms, overseen by the IMF. Since taking the
throne in 1999, King Mohammed VI has presided
over a stable economy marked by steady growth,
low inflation, and gradually falling unemployment,
although poor harvests and economic difficulties
in Europe contributed to an economic slowdown.
To boost exports, Morocco entered into a bilateral
Free Trade Agreement with the US in 2006 and an
Advanced Status agreement with the EU in 2008. In
late 2014, Morocco eliminated subsidies for gasoline,
diesel, and fuel oil, dramatically reducing outlays
that weighed on the country's budget and current
account. Subsidies on butane gas and certain
food products remain in place. Morocco also seeks
to expand its renewable energy capacity with a goal
of making renewable more than 50% of installed
electricity generation capacity by 2030. Despite Morocco's
economic progress, the country suffers from
high unemployment, poverty, and illiteracy, particularly
in rural areas. Key economic challenges for Morocco
include reforming the education system and
the judiciary.
GDP per capita: $6,900 note: data are in 2017 dollars
(2020 est.); inflation: 0.2% (2019 est.); unemployment:
9.23% (2019 est.).
Currency: Moroccan dirhams (MAD): 9.16 dirhams
equal 1 US dollar (Nov. 15, 2021).
Exports: $37.52 billion note: data are in current year
dollars (2020 est.): cars, insulated wiring, fertilizers,
phosphoric acid, clothing and apparel (2019).
Imports: $46.26 billion note: data are in current year
dollars (2020 est.): refined petroleum, cars and vehicle
parts, natural gas, coal, low-voltage protection
equipment (2019).
Agriculture: 14% (2017 est.) of GDP and 39.1% of
the labor force.
Internet: Code: .ma; 22,596,729 users.
Source: CIA World Factbook
December 2021 / World Grain / World-Grain.com
http://www.World-Grain.com
World Grain - December 2021

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