Morocco will suspend soft wheat imports between June 1 and July 31 after heavy rainfall sharply improved this year’s harvest, allowing authorities to pivot back toward domestic supply and strategic stock building following years of drought driven import dependence.
The move, confirmed Wednesday by the head of Morocco’s National Federation of Mills to Reuters, comes as the government expects national grain output to double to around 9 million tons this season after abundant rainfall ended a seven year drought cycle that had heavily strained agricultural production.
In a related directive, the Agriculture Ministry set the reference purchase price for locally produced soft wheat destined for industrial mills at 280 dirhams per quintal for the 2026 harvest.
The ministry also introduced storage incentives aimed at accelerating the collection of domestic production and rebuilding strategic reserves through the National Interprofessional Office for Cereals and Legumes, known as ONICL.
Under the measures, storage operators will receive subsidies of 2.5 dirhams per quintal every two weeks during the collection period running from June through the end of July. Additional incentives beginning in August will support the creation of strategic national reserves, with higher bonuses tied to stock volumes held through January 2027.
The state also pledged to cover part of transportation costs for locally produced wheat shipped to remote regions including Ouarzazate, Guelmim and Errachidia.
The policy shift follows a strong rebound in rainfall after years of severe drought pushed Morocco deeper into international grain markets.
Agriculture Ministry data showed rainfall this winter exceeded the 30 year average by 34 percent and reached nearly three times last year’s levels, helping expand cereal planting areas to 3.7 million hectares from 2.6 million hectares a year earlier.
Between June 2025 and January 2026, Morocco’s grain imports rose 12 percent to 7 million tons, led by shipments from France, Argentina, Russia, Germany and the United States.
The ministry said storage facilities benefiting from the support measures must comply with health certification requirements issued by the National Office for Food Safety and maintain daily declarations through ONICL monitoring systems.
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