Morocco reimposes tariffs on soft and hard wheat imports

May 12, 2021

The tariffs are expected to take effect June 1

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

A U.S. trading partner is preparing to place high tariffs on wheat imports.

On Monday, the Moroccan ministry of agriculture announced it will reimpose tariffs of 135 percent on “common wheat” starting May 15, and tariffs of 170 percent on durum wheat beginning on June 1.

The local government had previously lifted these tariffs due to years of drought and insignificant domestic wheat supply which required imports to make up the balance.

But Morocco’s cereals crop this year is expected to be up 206 percent from last year.

The agriculture ministry projects a total harvest of 9.8 million tonnes, which includes 4.82 million tonnes of soft wheat, 2.34 million tonnes of durum and 2.6 million tonnes of barley.

Morocco’s government is reinstating the tariffs to protect its people.

These high levies will help with domestic use and product price adjustments, said Moe Agostino, chief commodity strategist with Farms.com Risk Management.

“The tariffs protect domestic supplies to have enough to feed their people and probably to try to control inflation,” he said. “The government needs to make sure it has enough food for its citizens.”

The U.S. ranks as one of Morocco’s top wheat suppliers.

In 2019, America exported $7.57 million of wheat and meslin to Morocco. This figure ranked the U.S. seventh out of the top 10. France exports the most wheat to Morocco, exporting $388 million worth of wheat and meslin there in 2019.

Farms.com has contacted members of the U.S. ag community for comment

Video: What is Anhydrous Ammonia and Why Do We Use It?

Border View Farms is a mid-sized family farm that sits on the Ohio-Michigan border. My name is Nathan. I make and edit all of the videos posted here. I farm with my dad, Mark and uncle, Phil. Our part-time employee, Brock, also helps with the filming. 1980 was our first year in Waldron where our main farm is now. Since then we have grown the operation from just a couple hundred acres to over 3,000. Watch my 500th video for a history of our farm I filmed with my dad.

I started making these videos in the fall of 2019 as a way to help show what I do on a daily basis as a farmer. Agriculture is different from any other industry and I believe the more people that are showing their small piece of agriculture, helps to build our story. We face unique challenges and stressful situations but have some of the most rewarding payoffs in the end. I get to spend everyday doing what I love, raising my kids on the farm, and trying to push our farm to be better every year. I hope that I can address questions or concerns that you might have about farms and agriculture.