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Morocco to Prolong Wheat Import Campaign in January-April 

An ear of wheat is seen during a harvesting in a field near the village Kyshchentsi, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Cherkasy region, Ukraine July 18, 2023. (Reuters)
An ear of wheat is seen during a harvesting in a field near the village Kyshchentsi, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Cherkasy region, Ukraine July 18, 2023. (Reuters)
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Morocco to Prolong Wheat Import Campaign in January-April 

An ear of wheat is seen during a harvesting in a field near the village Kyshchentsi, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Cherkasy region, Ukraine July 18, 2023. (Reuters)
An ear of wheat is seen during a harvesting in a field near the village Kyshchentsi, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Cherkasy region, Ukraine July 18, 2023. (Reuters)

Morocco will offer subsidies to import up to 2.5 million metric tons of soft wheat between Jan. 1 and April 30, 2024, state grains agency ONICL said, as the North African country pursues an import program to offset drought-affected local production.

The January to April import scheme was approved by Morocco's finance and agriculture ministries, with subsidy details to be published separately, ONICL said in a note on its website.

After drought reduced its domestic wheat crop for a second year, Morocco launched an import program for the 2023/24 season covering up to 2.5 million tons for July to September, followed by a second round for October to December allowing up to 2 million tons.

Traders had expected the import campaign to continue after shipments so far this season lagged volumes available under the subsidy schemes, and with low rainfall again creating uncertainty about Morocco's next harvest.

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Türkiye Cenbank Cuts Rates by 250 Points to 45% as Expected

14 January 2025, Türkiye, Istanbul: A man seen rowing his boat along the Moda beach. Photo: Onur Dogman/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
14 January 2025, Türkiye, Istanbul: A man seen rowing his boat along the Moda beach. Photo: Onur Dogman/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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Türkiye Cenbank Cuts Rates by 250 Points to 45% as Expected

14 January 2025, Türkiye, Istanbul: A man seen rowing his boat along the Moda beach. Photo: Onur Dogman/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
14 January 2025, Türkiye, Istanbul: A man seen rowing his boat along the Moda beach. Photo: Onur Dogman/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Türkiye's central bank cut its key interest rate by 250 basis points to 45% as expected on Thursday, carrying on an easing cycle it launched last month alongside a decline in annual inflation that is expected to continue.

The central bank indicated it would continue to ease policy in the months ahead, noting that it anticipated a rise in trend inflation in January, when economists expect a higher minimum wage to lift the monthly price readings, Reuters reported.
In a slight change to its guidance, the bank said it will maintain a tight stance "until price stability is achieved via a sustained decline in inflation."
Last month, it said it would be maintained until "a significant and sustained decline in the underlying trend of monthly inflation is observed and inflation expectations converge to the projected forecast range."
In a Reuters poll, all 13 respondents forecast a cut to 45% from 47.5% in the one-week repo rate. They expect it to hit 30% by year end, according to the poll median.
In December, the central bank cut rates for the first time after 18-month tightening effort that reversed years of unorthodox economic policies and easy money championed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has since supported the steps.
To tackle inflation that has soared for years, the bank had raised its policy rate by 4,150 basis points in total since mid-2023 and kept it at 50% for eight months before beginning easing.
Annual inflation dipped to 44.38% last month in what the central bank believes is a sustained fall toward a 5% target over a few more years. It topped 75% in May last year.
"While inflation expectations and pricing behavior tend to improve, they continue to pose risks to the disinflation process," the bank's policy committee said after its rate decision.
A 30% administered rise in the minimum wage for 2025 was lower than workers had requested, though it is expected to boost monthly inflation readings this month and next, economists say.
The expected January inflation rise "is mainly driven by services items with time-dependent pricing and backward indexation," the bank said.
The central bank has eight monetary policy meetings set for this year, down from 12 last year.