Farmers in northern Morocco are facing mounting production costs that could discourage many from cultivating their land this season, despite favorable weather and natural conditions at the start of the agricultural year.
The challenges are particularly pronounced in the Loukkos basin and areas affected by flooding, where farmers say rising fuel prices and the cost of renting agricultural machinery are slowing plowing operations and threatening the viability of their activities.
According to field information gathered by Hespress from local sources in Ksar El Kebir and neighboring rural communities, plowing and land preparation are progressing at an unusually slow pace this year.
Farmers attribute the slowdown largely to rising fuel prices, which have exceeded MAD 17 per liter. The increase has pushed up the cost of hiring tractors, with hourly plowing rates reaching MAD 200 in some areas, an unprecedented level for the region, according to local farmers.
Mohamed Damoun, a farmer in the outskirts of Ksar El Kebir, said tractors consume around eight liters of fuel per hour during plowing. At more than MAD 17 per liter, fuel alone costs approximately MAD 136 for every hour of operation.
He described the expense as a significant financial burden, adding that the prices farmers receive for their products, including wheat, sugar beets and chickpeas, do not reflect the rising costs of production.
Farmers are increasingly struggling to generate profit margins sufficient to sustain their activities, Damoun said, calling for government support for agriculture comparable to assistance provided to other sectors, including public transport.
He argued that agriculture remains a strategic sector and a key pillar of the national economy, supplying the domestic market with essential food products.
Damoun also criticized what he described as the limited attention given to farmers in government priorities and programs. He said growing reliance on imports of agricultural products, including cereals, chickpeas, lentils, dry beans and meat, was adding to the difficulties facing domestic producers already dealing with high production costs and insufficient support.
The impact of the crisis is also becoming apparent in the agricultural land rental market, where leasing activity has slowed considerably, according to Damoun, who attributed the trend to the financial difficulties affecting farmers.
Abdessalam Biyari, president of the Chamber of Agriculture of the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, said small-scale farmers were facing particularly difficult conditions and needed greater support as the cost of preparing their land continued to rise.
Speaking to Hespress, Biyari said higher fuel and fertilizer prices were placing additional pressure on farmers at the beginning of the current agricultural season.
He added that tractor owners were now charging around MAD 250 per hour for plowing, compared with no more than MAD 150 previously.
Biyari warned that, without financial assistance, many farmers could decide not to plow or plant their land this season. He said concerns over the possibility of farmers abandoning cultivation were increasingly being raised among members of the regional agricultural chamber.
The chamber president said farmers were calling for dedicated support to help the agricultural sector cope with rising fuel prices, arguing that its fuel consumption was no less significant than that of passenger and freight transport.
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