The Moroccan Confederation of Agriculture and Rural Development (COMADER) has warned of mounting structural challenges threatening Morocco’s agricultural sector, stressing that farmers are facing increasingly difficult conditions due to consecutive years of drought, water scarcity, rising production costs, and constraints related to marketing, labor, and taxation.
In a press release issued following its annual general assembly, COMADER stated that farmers—particularly small and medium-sized producers—are under growing pressure as the prices of agricultural inputs, including fertilizers, seeds, energy, animal feed, and equipment, continue to rise. They also face higher transportation, storage, and marketing costs, limited access to markets, and the growing role of intermediaries between producers and consumers.
The Confederation emphasized that the prices paid by consumers do not necessarily reflect the actual income received by farmers. According to COMADER, many agricultural value chains still generate prices that are insufficient to cover production costs despite the significant increase in those costs over recent years.
COMADER also stressed that public support for agriculture is primarily intended to encourage investment, modernize farms, and strengthen their resilience, rather than provide direct income support to farmers. It added that Morocco’s agricultural support remains relatively limited compared with that provided to competing agricultural sectors abroad.
The organization called for distinguishing genuine agricultural professionals from speculative operators within the sector and proposed the introduction of a professional identification card for farmers and livestock breeders to ensure that public policies and support measures reach their intended beneficiaries. It also urged greater involvement of professional organizations in import and export decisions to help balance domestic production with national food security.
COMADER concluded by reaffirming that agriculture is not merely an economic activity but a fundamental pillar of food security, employment, social stability, and territorial development. It called for collective action to strengthen the sector’s competitiveness, improve the management of natural resources, and ensure the long-term sustainability of Moroccan agricultural production.