Cereals and pulses: Importers fill up in July
A remarkable upturn in cereals and pulses imports in July, the second month of the 2024-2025 import season. Taking advantage of a downward trend in world prices, domestic importers were quick to fill up. Orders placed at the end of June and unloaded in July broke records.
Indeed, according to the latest statistics published by FNCL (National Federation of Cereals and Pulses Traders), imports of cereals and pulses of all kinds (soft wheat, barley, maize, soya cake, beet pulp, durum wheat, DDGS (Distiller’s Dried Grains with Solubles), wheat bran, soya hulls, soft feed wheat, and sunflower meal) reached more than 15.18 million quintals, compared with 8.8 million quintals in June, almost doubling in the space of one month.
6.74 million quintals of soft wheat imported
In terms of products, soft wheat, Morocco’s most popular cereal, accounted for the largest volume imported, with 6.74 million quintals, compared with 3.77 million quintals the previous month. France, which has been Morocco’s main supplier since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, was followed in July by Russia. France supplied just 1.50 million quintals of soft wheat last month, and Russia exported almost as much, precisely 1.49 million quintals of soft wheat to Morocco over the same period. These two «competitors» are distantly followed by Bulgaria (0.88 million quintals), Germany (0.87 million quintals), Romania (0.85 million quintals), and Ukraine (0.68 million quintals).
In terms of unloading harbor, Casablanca accounted for more than half of this volume. In fact, 3.84 million quintals of soft wheat were unloaded there in July, compared with 0.93 million quintals in Nador, 0.92 million quintals in Jorf Lasfar, 0.78 million quintals in Agadir, and 0.25 million quintals in Safi.
That said, it should be noted that thanks to these massive imports, made possible by favorable market conditions, importers were able to build up provisions. Tool stocks, usually three months’ worth, improved significantly.
Aziz DIOUF
