In response to surging consumer prices, the Moroccan government is intensifying market surveillance efforts, recording over 15,000 commercial violations each year, Economy and Finance Minister Nadia Fettah said.
More than 350,000 retail outlets are inspected annually, with approximately 80% of offenders referred directly to court, Fettah noted in a written response to parliamentary questions from MP Nezha Makdad. The remaining violators receive formal warnings. Authorities have also destroyed thousands of tons of unfit products during inspections.
Fettah emphasized that the inspections are not random but part of a coordinated effort between government departments, regional officials, and local market-monitoring committees overseen by governors. These teams enforce regulations targeting illegal price hikes, hoarding, lack of sales receipts, and other unfair commercial practices.
At the heart of the initiative is Morocco’s Law on Free Pricing and Competition, which prohibits monopolistic behavior, price manipulation, and collusion.
The government has coupled enforcement with a range of relief measures to ease the burden of inflation. These include direct subsidies for essential items such as butane gas, sugar, and flour, along with tax breaks and customs duty suspensions on key imports like grains, legumes, oils, and meat. Targeted financial aid has also been extended to sectors such as public transportation and schoolbook publishing.
“These actions show that the fight against price abuse is not symbolic,” Fettah said. “We are deploying all legal tools available to protect consumers and stabilize the market.”
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