Prices of onions in Morocco .. The behavior of economic boycott back to the facade

Maryam Al-Taidi-Rabat

A vegetable vendor in a popular market responded to the question of Ms. Jamila (54 years old), who was searching the market during the first day of Ramadan for a dry red onion. Jamila followed her search, before finding a little onion sold for 15 dirhams ($ 1.56).

Jamila knows that dry onions are a key ingredient in some Ramadan recipes, but she was forced not to buy them because of its high price. "It's not reasonable to sell onions for 15 dirhams," he said.

Renewed boycott
On the other hand, young Moroccans have launched a boycott of onions on the social networking sites under the label "Let it rip down" because of its high prices during the early days of Ramadan, similar to the previous economic boycotts, Shop water, fuel and milk.

The comparison between the price of onion in the market and the price of the dollar and the euro, and the likeness of the beads of red onions with precious jewelry in the ornaments.

The phrases and sarcastic slogans, such as "Not everything that glitters onions", are often different from the level of onion, which is often considered one of the few items. Moroccans, when they want to discredit something, say "worthless."

Speculation inflates prices
On a tour of the island of Net with some vegetable markets, traders repeat one phrase: "The onions are expensive from plastow, and we are not selling" (we buy onions at a high price, we only sell), and installment sellers point out that brokers and speculators inflate the price and ignite the market.

It is not only onions that know price rises, but the month of Ramadan is experiencing a 37% increase in consumption. Demand for specific materials is rising, providing an opportunity for speculators to control prices in the absence of supervision.

Economic analyst Abdul Nabi Abu-Arab attributed the rise in market prices to increased demand for some materials, putting pressure on the market for the consumer, as well as speculation by brokers, market regulation and supply control.

Without darkness
Bouazza al-Kharrati, head of the Moroccan Consumer Protection Association, said in an interview with Al Jazeera Net that the producer and consumer are a barrier or a dark area where the number of people involved is unknown.

It indicates that onions are sold at the small farmer at 1.5 dirhams, and the consumer reaches 12 to 15 dirhams.

Al-Kharati stressed the need for the government to intervene in the course of locally produced goods and called for adopting a clear market system through quality control, health safety, product path and price.

"It is time for the ministries of agriculture and trade to deal with the commodity path and to reduce the number of intermediaries by allowing farmers to enter wholesale markets that are monopolized," he says.

The interrupt behavior is static
Commenting on the new wave of boycotts, Abu-Arab explained that "his cell is being destroyed, his cell is being booby-trapped, his cell is in ruins, and he is free of it." Other brands reflect the Moroccan consumer's automatic attitude towards any unreasonable and unjustified behavior within the market.

Abu al-Arab said that the province has become a constant behavior of the Moroccan consumer, regulating the relationship between this consumer and economic actors.

He expected Morocco to witness further boycott campaigns in the future, especially with the rapid deployment and responsiveness of tags through social media.

He warned the economic analyst responsible for the need to take into account that the consumer no longer accept any excess that threatens his purchasing power.

The president of the Moroccan Consumer Protection Association, Bouazza Al-Kharati, considers that the boycott is a right of the consumer, exercised when he does not want to acquire what does not fit his purchasing power.

Government Response
The new province was not without a response from the government. The effects of the popular boycotts launched last year by Moroccans are still ongoing, with the brands in the province suffering heavy losses.

Prime Minister Saad al-Din al-Othmani said prices were generally stable except for the price of onions, which saw some rise and then fell relatively.

He added that the Central Committee and the monitoring and tracking committees are working to follow up and intervene when necessary, and called on citizens to report any imbalances in the market, where cooperation between the administration and citizens can know the imbalances and intervention in a timely manner.

The Ministry of Agriculture (Agriculture) issued a statement on the situation of onion prices during the month of Ramadan, stating that the discrepancy between the production periods and the increasing demand during the month of Ramadan, caused imbalance between supply and demand.

The ministry promised a return to normal prices with the gradual introduction of onion production this season.

Morocco produces about 900,000 tons of onions annually, which accounts for more than 12% of the national production of vegetables.