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Rabat - At a time the Moroccan law clearly states that only foreigners are allowed to buy and consume alcoholic beverages, a new study conducted by Euromonitor for the British Magazine The Economist has found that Moroccans are actually the ones putting money in the pockets of liquor distributors and manufacturers.
According to the study cited by French-speaking magazine Jeune Afrique, Moroccans consume an estimated 131 million liters of alcohol per year including, 400 million bottles of beer, 38 million bottles of wine, 1,5 million bottles of whiskey, 1 million bottles of vodka and 140,000 bottles of champagne.
The study went on to highlight that the companies operating in the field of producing, importing and disturbing alcoholic beverages work in complete transparency under Moroccan law, some of which are even publicly traded in the stock market.
In addition to the massive consumption, Morocco has 37,000 Ha exclusively reserved for vineyards, making the kingdom the largest producer and exporter of wine in the Arab world.
"If we apply the law, there should be millions of Moroccans in prison," a Casablanca Lawyer was quoted by Jeune Afrique as saying.
"Close all bars, pubs and nightclubs, punish grocery stores and supermarkets that distribute alcohol. Failure to do so means we close our eyes," he added.
In this regard, Marjane supermarket chain has decided in August to stop selling Alcoholic beverages all together. Acima, another SNI-owned company, is also considering removing alcohol from its stores.
"We are just waiting to liquidate our stock," an Acima executive told the French-speaking magazine. "Not a drop of alcohol will be sold by the chain in 2015."
The magazine stressed that although the Moroccan government prohibits the sale of alcohol it is, however, the first to reap its benefits.
The sector employs thousands of people each year and generates about 4 billion Dirhams in revenue, not to mention the tax revenue.
