Moroccan fuel prices are expected to rise again after increases earlier this month, according to a fuel retail industry source and a union official, as the war in the Middle East continues to unsettle oil markets and raises fresh pressure on household purchasing power.
Prices of diesel and gasoline were already raised on March 16 by about 2 dirhams a liter for diesel and 1.5 dirhams for gasoline. A source from the National Federation of Fuel Station Owners, Traders and Managers told Hespress that another increase is now “almost certain,” although the timing and how it will be applied remain unclear because pricing decisions are made by supplying and distribution companies.
Station owners are operating in “a state of uncertainty” over both fuel prices and strategic stocks, the source said, adding that retailers often learn of expected increases through “social media and rumors circulating in the market,” much like ordinary consumers.
“The official information on a price increase only reaches station owners in the final hours before implementation,” the source said, adding that distributors “do not share with us any clear vision or commercial strategy regarding prices.”
The same source said current indicators point to an “inevitable increase” that could total as much as 2 dirhams, with one scenario involving the rise being split into two rounds, possibly at the end of March and again in mid April, rather than imposed all at once.
That, he said, would help avoid “a strong and sudden impact” on both consumers’ purchasing power and stations’ working capital.
Retailers’ profit margins remain fixed at about 350 to 400 dirhams per ton regardless of pump prices, he said. “The rise in diesel prices does not mean an increase in our profits. It means an increase in investment costs.”
Houssine El Yamani, head of the National Petroleum and Gas Union under the Democratic Confederation of Labour, said the conflict’s fallout was “terrifying” and warned diesel could eventually reach 18 dirhams a liter in Morocco once international prices, taxes, transport and distributors’ margins are included.
“To preserve social peace and protect what remains of Moroccans’ purchasing power, there must be serious state intervention,” he said.
The government said on March 17 it was launching a new round of exceptional support for road transport professionals, while the Energy Transition Ministry said fuel supplies through ports and the domestic market remain normal, dismissing fears of shortages.
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