Consequences of Market Liberalization for the Operators of the Dairy Subsector in Morocco

Abstract

The Moroccan dairy subsector has gone through an eventful recent history. The initial situation, in the early 1970s, was characterized by a high level of State regulation. At that time, there was an increasing domestic demand associated to a low availability of milk products; therefore State authorities encouraged local production and processing. But at the beginning of the 1980s, a series of structural adjustment measures were implemented and all subsidies were progressively suppressed. These sudden successive changes seriously impacted on the organization of the dairy subsector, particularly at the level of dairy cattle farms, by markedly modifying production practices. Currently, another significant stage for the Moroccan dairy subsector is the ongoing negotiation of free trade agreement with the European Union. This will lead to the end of protection for domestic dairy products and to increased competition between local and imported dairy products. In a context of market liberalization associated with the price of agricultural inputs rising on international markets, it will be essential to upgrade productive tools and policies of the subsector, which will have consequences on all operators along the commodity chain. This will be vital for the upholding of milk production, collection and transformation activities in Morocco, under conditions favorable to their sustainable development: pursuit of optimal milk yield and quality, efficient irrigation water productivity, and fair distribution of incomes generated by the subsector to all operators, with an aim to adjust the price to the purchase power of consumers.