Morocco's King Mohammed VI, accompanied by Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan, on Saturday launched the national “Ramadan 1447” food aid operation in the Al Inbiâate district of Salé.
The initiative, organised by the Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan, will benefit 4,362,732 people nationwide.
Now in its 28th edition, the programme has a budget of 305 million dirhams and will see the distribution of 34,550 tonnes of essential food products, including flour, milk, rice, oil, sugar, tomato paste, pasta, lentils and tea. The aid is primarily targeted at vulnerable groups, including widows, elderly people and persons with disabilities.
For the second consecutive year, beneficiaries are being identified through Morocco’s Unified Social Register, a national system that uses socio-economic indicators to determine eligibility. Authorities say this mechanism helps ensure transparent and equitable distribution across 1,304 municipalities. Official data indicates that 74% of beneficiary households live in rural areas.
Among the one million heads of household recorded are 432,092 elderly people, 211,381 widows and 88,163 people with disabilities.
The operation is financially supported by the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, and forms part of the broader humanitarian programme led by the Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity.
Thousands of staff, social workers and volunteers have been mobilised nationwide to oversee distribution. Provincial and local committees are monitoring supply chains and beneficiary identification, while several public institutions are providing logistical support. Health authorities and the National Office for Food Safety are responsible for quality control of the distributed products.
During the launch ceremony, the King symbolically handed food baskets to representatives of ten beneficiary families and posed for a commemorative photograph with volunteers.
Since its launch in 1998, the national food aid operation has mobilised more than 2.5 billion dirhams. The number of beneficiary families has increased from 34,100 in 1998 to one million since 2023, according to official figures.
