RABAT- Morocco's central bank kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 2.25% on Tuesday, saying current borrowing costs were in line with the medium-term prospects of inflation, growth and public finances.
The bank said it would lower its monetary reserve rate to 2% from 4% to allow it to meet higher banking liquidity needs by permanently injecting 11 billion dirhams ($1.14 billion).
Inflation is expected to slow to 0.7% in 2019 from 1.9% last year on the back of a drop in food prices, before picking up to 1.2% in 2020 as domestic demand improves, the bank said in a statement following its board meeting.
Economic growth is set to slow to 2.7% in 2019 from 3% in 2018 as a result of agricultural activity slowing, it said. Morocco announced a cereals harvest of 5.2 million tonnes this year, about half the size of last year's due to a lack of rainfall.
However, economic growth should increase again in 2020 to 3.8%, the bank said, assuming a crop of 8 million tonnes of cereals.
The current account deficit is expected to narrow to 5.1% in 2019 and 3.6% in 2020, from 5.5% in 2018, the bank said. The gaps should shrink because of cheaper energy imports and a rise in exports, notably from the automotive sector.
The central bank maintained that Morocco will still issue two international bonds this year and next year that would boost international reserves to 239 billion dirhams in 2019 and 234.5 in 2020, enough to cover five months of imports.
The government plans to issue two international sovereign bonds in 2019 and 2020, each worth 11 billion dirhams ($1 billion).
The budget deficit, excluding privatisation revenue, is expected to rise to 4% of GDP in 2019 from 3.7% in 2018, the central bank said, citing an increase in spending after public sector wage increases.
Privatisation revenue would help shrink this year's budget deficit to 3.3%, according to the government, which in June sold an 8% stake in Maroc Telecom, Morocco’s largest telecom operator.
(Reporting By Ahmed El Jechtimi; editing by Angus McDowall and Kevin Liffey) ((angus.mcdowall@thomsonreuters.com; Reuters Messaging: angus.mcdowall.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
