Furniture: AMIA describes a fragmented sector facing competition from the informal economy

The daily Les Inspirations Éco reports that the furniture sector directly employs between 53,000 and 70,000 people, with an estimated turnover of 37 to 49 billion dirhams. According to the daily, the country imported close to 7 billion dirhams of wood and wood-derived products in 2024. The president of the Moroccan Association of Furniture Manufacturers (AMIA), Aimane Sami, describes a sector that is fragmented, and stresses pressure from the informal economy, which competes on price and disregards standards. According to AMIA, some large projects are awarded to general contractors, to the detriment of specialist SMEs. The daily also notes the weight of price in public procurement. Industry professionals argue for a finer division of calls for tenders. A sector study, carried out with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, is expected to be published shortly and should serve as the basis for a long-term industrial strategy.