**“Fraudulent” local products sold online threaten the solidarity economy**
In recent years, e-commerce of supposedly local but “fraudulent” products has proliferated, endangering the health of consumers and being contrary to the principle of competition. This situation negatively impacts local products in the field of the social and solidarity economy, particularly in the Souss-Massa region.
The Liberal group in Parliament addressed a written question to the Minister of Industry and Trade on this subject. He highlighted the great development of e-commerce in Morocco in recent years, which has prompted many agricultural cooperatives active in the Souss-Massa region to follow this development and register their digital presence by seeking to market their local products through social media platforms and online stores.
However, the group noted that these cooperatives have been faced with a bitter reality in the presence of products that do not respect the competitive offer and are attributed to cooperatives in Souss without actually belonging to them. These products are marketed under the label “argan oil” and some of its extracts.
The group also reported that this negatively affects the performance of these professional organizations and threatens the continuity of their activity. It specified that some local cooperatives in the field of natural honey observed a significant drop in their sales during their last participation in national fairs due to the invasion of fraudulent honey sold under the name of unknown cooperatives and at ridiculous prices.
The current situation requires intervention to limit these behaviors that have a negative impact on the solidarity economic sector, directly affect the principle of competition and threaten local products in our country, which stand out for their quality and high value.
—
