فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
Recent statements by the Minister of Agriculture, Mohamed Seddiqi, revealed an “unjustified” rise in potato seed prices in Morocco, after allocating generous government support to this sector for the first time.
The minister explained, in a meeting of the Production Sectors Committee in the House of Representatives, that some “middlemen or hangers-on” took advantage of this support to raise the prices of potato seeds significantly, as the price of a kilogram reached 26 or 27 dirhams, while it was sold for 12 dirhams before the support was approved.
My friend considered this behavior “unacceptable,” stressing that the support allocated was aimed at helping farmers face the high costs of production, and not to increase the profits of the “shanaka” at their expense.
The minister threatened to pursue those who manipulate potato seed prices and take the necessary measures to punish them, noting that he asked “SONACOS” (the National Seed Marketing Company) to undertake the purchase and import of potato seeds from abroad and sell them directly to farmers at reasonable prices.
It is noteworthy that the Moroccan government has allocated, for the first time in its history, support for tomato, onion and potato production chains, at a rate ranging between 50 and 70 percent, with the aim of alleviating the impact of the high seed prices of these chains on farmers and consumers.
Morocco has been suffering from water scarcity in recent years, which has led to high production costs for many agricultural products, including potatoes.
Source: Fez News Media
