Marruecos: "I regret planting potatoes this season"

Mohsine Yassine, a local farmer, is devastated: "The crisis is at its worst. I regret planting potatoes this year."

"We have had a hard time in cultivation. Seed potatoes are too expensive and this year this is accompanied by drought, lack of water and high costs for cultivation. Yet in the end we are offered a price that is half of our cost price. This is our second consecutive year with losses," the grower adds.

"The yields are still good, as is the quality. Our problem is marketing. We try everything and knock on all doors, but we will sell to the highest bidder," says Mohsine.

The grower’s problems come at a time when consumer prices on the Moroccan fresh produce market are rising, highlighting the gap between the margins of retailers and growers. According to a recent report by the Moroccan Competition Council, the number of intermediaries between growers and consumers has increased to four, with significant power in setting prices. A parliamentary commission concluded in 2023 that the dysfunction of the distribution chain and the large number of intermediaries are the main factor behind the rise in consumer prices.

"I am thinking of giving up potatoes next season and switching our area to grain. And that is if I don’t give up the farm completely," says the farmer. "I still hope for the best this season and that I will come out with as little damage as possible. For next season, the market demand for wheat gives us hope," concludes Mohsine.

For more information:

Mohsine Yassine

Khmiss Mettouh

Tel: +212 689 038085