The Moroccan government will financially help road hauliers, hit hard by soaring prices at the pump, fueled by the war in Ukraine, and who went on strike last week, we learned on Monday from sources official.
“Faced with this exceptional situation, the government has chosen to intervene to support professionals in the sector in order to preserve the purchasing power of citizens”, announced the Minister of Transport, Mohamed Abdeljalil, after a meeting. with transport professionals.
The terms and amounts of the aid should be fixed “within two weeks”, said the MAP news agency.
“The government will intervene to (…) ensure that the supply chain for citizens is maintained in good conditions”, underlined for his part the Minister in charge of the Budget, Fouzi Lekjaa, who participated in the meeting. emergency.
All carriers (goods, passengers, taxis, etc.) should benefit from government assistance.
Several road transport unions observed a five-day strike last week, demanding caps on fuel prices and the margins of hydrocarbon distributors.
The escalation in prices does not only affect fuel but also basic foodstuffs, which has provoked demonstrations against the high cost of living – for the moment scattered – across the country.
In a radio broadcast on Sunday, the Budget Minister said that the government should mobilize more than 15 billion dirhams (1.4 billion euros) additionally in 2022 in order to preserve purchasing power and fight against the rise in the butane gas, wheat, flour and transport tariffs. He did not specify how.
The liberal government of Aziz Akhannouch – a businessman who built his fortune on the distribution of hydrocarbons – has been under fire from critics for several weeks for its inaction in the face of rising social discontent.
Aggravating the crisis, after two years of pandemic, the kingdom has been hit by a “historic” drought while its economy is very dependent on the agricultural and agri-food sector, the leading contributor to GDP, up to 14%.