Chicken prices in Morocco have shot up at a pace rarely seen even by the kingdom’s own volatile food-market standards, and consumers are pushing back. In under two weeks, the retail price of a kilogram of chicken climbed from less than 18 dirhams to 27 or 28 dirhams, touching nearly 30 dirhams at some outlets across the country.
The jump has reignited a now-familiar reflex among Moroccan shoppers: the boycott. Calls to stop buying chicken have spread rapidly on social media in recent days, with videos and posts urging people to hold off on purchases circulating widely under the slogan « Moqawitoune, » Arabic for « the boycotters, » meant to pressure sellers and industry players into lowering prices.
The figures being shared online point to a wide gap between farm and shelf. Around Casablanca, chicken reportedly leaves farms at 21 to 22 dirhams per kilo; in Tangier, the farm-gate price is closer to 23.5 dirhams. Yet by the time it reaches shoppers, the same chicken can cost close to 30 dirhams at retail, a spread that has put the role of middlemen squarely in the spotlight.
Mohammed Aboud, head of Morocco’s National Association of Broiler Chicken Farmers, traces the spike to the gradual exit of small and medium-scale farmers from the market, which he says has thrown supply out of balance. The claim echoes a striking figure raised in parliament by lawmaker Abdellah Bouanou, who said just two operators control more than half of the country’s chicken market, from the farm all the way to the point of sale.
Amid the public anger, Morocco’s Consumer Protection Observatory has thrown its weight behind the boycott movement, backing voluntary and peaceful consumer action. The watchdog argues that cutting demand and turning to alternative foods could ease pressure on prices and lighten the burden on households. It is also calling for greater transparency across the production and distribution chain, closer oversight of each stage, and tighter limits on the margins taken by intermediaries.
Beyond poultry itself, the episode reflects a broader unease over the cost of living in Morocco, where a sharp price rise on a daily staple is now enough to trigger fast, large-scale public mobilization.
