RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/STR/N/1/MAR
21March 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-1018)
Original: French Working Party onState Trading Enterprises
STATE TRADING
Notification Pursuant toArticle XVII:4(a) oftheGATT 1994 andParagraph 1
oftheUnderstanding ontheInterpretation ofArticle XVII
MOROCCO
Thefollowing communication, dated 7March 1996, hasbeenreceived from thePermanent
Mission ofMorocco.
_______________
Pursuant totheprovisions ofArticle XVII:4(a) oftheGATT 1994 andparagraph 1ofthe
Understanding ontheInterpretation ofArticle XVII, andinaccordance withthedecision oftheCouncil
ofTrade inGoods of20February 1995, Morocco herewith submits itsnotification concerning state
trading enterprises, inaccordance withthequestionnaire setoutinthedocument G/STR/N/1. This
notification concerns theOffice Chérifien desPhosphates (Moroccan Phosphates Board), theTobacco
Board, theNational TeaandSugar Board andtheNational Electricity Board.
A. PHOSPHATES
I. Enumeration ofthestatetrading enterprise
Moroccan Phosphates Board (OCP: Office Chérifien desPhosphates).
II. Reason andpurpose forintroducing andmaintaining thestatetrading enterprise
TheOCPwasestablished forthepurpose ofmining phosphate ore.Ithasastatutory monopoly
onextracting oreunder LawNo.1-60-178 of29July1960.
III. Description ofthefunctioning ofthestatetrading enterprise
TheOCPisconcernedwithexportingphosphatesandhasamonopolyintheminingofphosphate
ore.Thequantity andpriceofexports aredetermined bymarket demand. Thelevelofdomestic prices
isfixed bytheGovernment. Export transactions arenotconducted within theframework oflong-term
contracts.G/STR/N/1/MAR
Page2
IV. Statistical information
Year Phosphate exports Phosphate production
Quantity
('000tonnes)Value (million
dirhams)Quantity
('000tonnes)Value (million
dirhams)
1993 8,493 1,690 18,310 4,225
1994 9,527 1,822 20,330 4,455
1995 10,110 n/a*20,930 4,705
*n/a: notavailable .
B. TOBACCO
I. Enumeration ofthestatetrading enterprise
Tobacco Board (RT: Régie desTabacs).
II. Reason andpurpose forintroducing andmaintaining thestatetrading enterprise
Under LawNo.1-69-245 of19January 1970, theTobacco Board hasatobacco marketing
monopoly.
III. Description ofthefunctioning ofthestatetrading enterprise
TheRTdeals withimports andexports, having atobacco marketing monopoly. Thequantity
ofimports isdetermined bymarket demand anddomestic prices arefixed bytheGovernment.
TheGovernment doesnotenter intocontractual obligations forthisproduct.
IV. Statistical information
Year Imports ofloose leaf
(tonnes)Imports ofcigarettes
(millions ofpackets)Domestic production of
leaftobacco (tonnes)
Quantity Value
(million
dirhams)Quantity Value
(million
dirhams)Quantity Value
(million
dirhams)
1993 6,700 116.0 95 363.0 3,200 34.8
1994 11,600 214.2 196.3 738.5 5,035 44.9
1995 12,435 248.3 101.0 441.0 4,200 39.6G/STR/N/1/MAR
Page3
C. TEA AND SUGAR
I. Enumeration ofthestatetrading enterprise
TheNational TeaandSugar Board (ONTS: Office National duThéetduSucre).
II. Reason andpurpose forintroducing andmaintaining thestatetrading enterprise
TheNational TeaandSugar Board (ONTS) wasestablished byLawNo.1-63-214 under the
supervision oftheMinistry ofTrade andIndustry.
Itisimportant tonotethatsince theendof1994 theONTS hasnothadamonopoly inthe
marketing oftea.
Atpresent itonlyhasamonopoly inthemarketing ofsugar, which isduetobeabolished.
TheONTS provides themarket witharegular andappropriate supply ofsugar.
III. Description ofthefunctioning ofthestatetrading enterprise
TheONTS hasexclusive rights toimport butnottoexport. Thequantity ofimports is
determined bymarket demand. Domestic prices arefixed bytheGovernment. TheONTS doesnot
signlong-term supply contract withitsclients.
IV. Statistical information
Year Teaimports Domestic production of
teaSugar imports Production ofdomestic
sugar refineries (private
andpublic)
Q* V** Q* V** Q* V** Q* V**
1992 27.2 627.5 negligible negligible 354.0 737 460.4 -
1993 30.5 867.5 negligible negligible 468.6 1,213 470.6 -
1994 20.4 444.1 negligible negligible 477.2 1,297 430.0 -
*Q: Quantity in'000tonnes.
**V: Value inmillion dirhams.
D. ELECTRICITY
I. Enumeration ofthestatetrading enterprise
TheNational Electricity Board (ONE: Office National d'Electricité).
II. Reason andpurpose forintroducing andmaintaining thestatetrading enterprise
TheONE wasestablished under LawNo.1-63-226 of5August 1963. Itsprincipal taskis
tomeetdomestic demand forelectricity.G/STR/N/1/MAR
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III. Description ofthefunctioning ofthestatetrading enterprise
TheONE hasaccess totheexternal market onlyincidentally forbothimports andexports.
Itenjoys aquasi-monopoly inproduction andamonopoly intransport. Asfarasdistribution is
concerned itshares themarket withlocaldistribution companies without anycompetition.
[Theplanned imports fromSpain willbeundertaken intheframework ofthree-year contracts.]
IV. Statistical information
Year Exports Imports Production
Gigawatt-
hours
(GWh)Million
dirhamsGigawatt-
hours
(GWh)Million
dirhamsGigawatt-
hours
(GWh)Million
dirhams
1993 negligible negligible 1,026 427 8,961 6,774
1994 negligible negligible 793 316 9,498 7,602
1995 negligible negligible 250 104 n/a*n/a*
*n/a: notavailable.