Grassroots online campaign urges Moroccans to boycott essential foods amid rising prices

Chicken, eggs, meat and vegetables. These are all food items that have been targeted by social media activists in Morocco as ripe for a boycott. Their beef?  The prohibitively high cost of these goods making them unattainable for many families.

The campaign, which has garnered significant attention on social media, seeks to push egg prices down to $0.27 and chicken meat to less than $1.40 per kilogram, according to Morocco World News.

The sharp rise in prices has been attributed to factors such as drought and market fluctuations. However, many Moroccans argue that the government must take stronger measures to regulate the markets and curb price inflation, according to Morocco24.

The call to action comes just as Moroccans are celebrating the holy month of Ramadan, a time when friends and family traditionally feast after a day of fasting. The timing has reportedly further fueled public support for the initiative.

This campaign appears to draw inspiration from a previous social media-driven boycott of sardines, which was initiated by a fishmonger named Abdelilah in Marrakesh.

His prices were notably lower than those of competitors, prompting authorities to shut down his stall, officially citing unsanitary conditions. However, critics believed the real reason was that he had exposed how middlemen drive up market prices. Following public outcry, the governor of Marrakesh intervened, allowing him to reopen his shop.

It is unclear whether the campaign successfully lowered the cost of fish but it was effective in drawing attention to the role of middlemen in price inflation and the growing demand for market reforms in Morocco.

Morocco is encouraging using the national hotline number “5757“ for consumer complaints and observations during Ramadan.