"As part of the permanent monitoring of the situation of the national market supply with petroleum products, particularly in the context of the state of health emergency decreed by Morocco in order to stop the spread of the new coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of Energy, Mining and the Environment said that the supply remains stable and sufficient to cover all the needs of households and productive sectors during the holy month of Ramadan, which is characterized by a increased consumption of gas cylinders," said a statement from the ministry.

From the onset of this crisis and as part of a proactive approach against any possible repercussions of covid-19, the ministry took a series of measures to avoid disruptions in the supply of the national market with gas cylinders.

To this end, it directed its decentralized services, in coordination with the public authorities, in order to call on the various local stakeholders, production and distribution companies and retail sales points for these bottles, to comply with these measures.

This involves the obligation to return an empty gas cylinder to buy a new one and the sale of only one bottle per customer at each supply stage.

It also concerns guaranteeing adequate means of transport to ensure the continuous supply of this product, extending working hours in filling centers in order to meet national needs, as well as intensifying the visits of control commissions to identify violations and take legal action against offenders.

The immediate application of these measures at the regional level has made it possible to stabilize demand and supply of gas cylinders, noted the ministry, recalling the decision to create a monitoring committee to follow up the supply of the national market with energy products.

Chaired by the Minister of Energy, Mining and the Environment, with the participation of all stakeholders from the public and private sectors, this committee holds periodic meetings to monitor the supply operation of the national market with energy products, from importation to distribution, as well as to take the appropriate measures.

Despite the exceptional demand, particularly since the declaration of the state of health emergency and the advent of the month of Ramadan, the supply of the market remains regular thanks to the new acquisitions confirmed by the sector's stakeholders. These operations make it possible to preserve current stocks and improve them for the next three months.

As a result, scheduled and confirmed imports are sufficient to cover national gas cylinder needs with the preservation of a permanent stock varying between 34 days from May 1 and 31 days until June 1. These levels exceed the consumption requirements at the national level which reaches around 7,000 tonnes/day.

Despite the current economic situation, stakeholders in the sector are continuing reception, storage and distribution activities, in accordance with the national strategy to combat the pandemic of the new coronavirus (covid-19) through the application of the set prevention and security measures, in addition to activating the work continuity plan to guarantee supply of the national market under better conditions.

Concerning other petroleum products, the demand for fuel has experienced a continuous decline since the declaration of the state of health emergency which led to a reduction in traffic. This decline was accompanied by a decrease in selling prices to consumers, mainly following the unprecedented fall in oil prices on the world market.

Stocks of petroleum products increased sharply due to the drop in demand to reach a coverage of 34 days of national consumption for diesel and 45 days for gasoline, the statement said, adding that companies in the sector maintained the same import rate in order to strengthen the stock and keep it at its usual level.