You might not own a car. You might not even have your licence yet.
Unfortunately, the price of gasoil can still find its way into your wallet.
At the beginning of October, diesel prices in Morocco jumped by around 80 centimes per litre, while petrol rose by roughly 39 centimes. In several Casablanca stations, gasoil is now selling between 16.10 and 16.18 DH per litre, crossing the 16 DH mark.
And this is not one random increase.
Since mid-July, diesel has risen by around 3.5 DH per litre, after several consecutive increases.
So, what is actually going on?
IT STARTS WAY BEFORE THE PETROL STATION
Morocco imports the petroleum products it needs, which means what happens on international energy markets eventually reaches Moroccan pumps.
Right now, those markets are under pressure.
Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have disrupted energy supply and refining, while refined fuels such as diesel have become particularly expensive internationally. The important detail here is that the price of diesel does not simply follow the price of crude oil. What matters is also how much refined diesel is available, how expensive it is to produce and transport, and what happens to the dirham against the dollar.
That last part matters because international oil products are largely traded in dollars.
Morocco’s fuel market has also been liberalised since 2015. Instead of one fixed government-set pump price, distributors adjust their prices according to international costs and other market factors. Prices are generally revised twice a month.
OKAY, BUT I DON’T DRIVE. WHY SHOULD I CARE?
Because diesel moves much more than cars.
Trucks run on it. Buses use it. Goods travel with it. Farms and businesses depend on transport.
When moving something from one city to another becomes more expensive, businesses can eventually face higher costs. Depending on the sector and how long high fuel prices last, some of those costs can work their way into what consumers pay.
Your grocery delivery did not teleport to your door.
Neither did the clothes you ordered online.
That is why fuel prices can become an inflation story, not only a driver story.
The government has maintained exceptional financial support for professional passenger and goods transport operators, specifically to limit the pressure of higher fuel costs on transport prices.
SHOULD WE EXPECT ANOTHER INCREASE?
The useful answer right now is: nobody can responsibly promise that prices are going up or down next.
The next regular fuel-price revision is expected around October 16. What happens will depend heavily on international refined-fuel prices, geopolitical developments, supply conditions and the exchange rate.
There is some reassuring news: Morocco says its supply is currently operating normally and that the country has around 40 to 60 days of diesel and butane reserves. So the immediate issue is price pressure, not petrol stations suddenly running out of fuel.
But if international diesel prices remain high, the pressure on Moroccan prices is unlikely to disappear overnight.
And that is probably the biggest thing Gen Z should understand about this story.
You don’t have to be standing at a petrol pump to pay for expensive gasoil.
Sometimes, it reaches you through the bus you take, the package you order, the food you buy or the price of getting something from point A to point B.
