Coffee price ceiling and profit margin limits set

Executive decree no. 24-279 of 20 August 2024, published in the Journal officiel no. 57 of 21 August 2024, sets a maximum consumer price for coffee, including all taxes, and caps the profit margins that importers, wholesalers and retailers may take. Under the decree, the ceiling is 1,250 DA per kilogram for arabica and 1,000 DA per kilogram for robusta, whether green, roasted or ground. Importers of green coffee for resale may take at most 3% on customs value, and those importing for processing at most 4% on cost price. Wholesale and retail margins are capped at 4% and 8% respectively.

Importers who keep to these prices can claim state compensation, paid from the national budget and limited to coffee destined for the local market. Claims are examined by an interministerial compensation committee chaired by the minister responsible for trade, and must be supported by invoices, customs declarations, bank documents and a price structure form. Operators who break the rules lose the right to compensation and must repay sums unlawfully received. The ministry of trade is to publish reference green-coffee purchase prices on its official website.