This year, the approach of Aid Al Adha is more worrying than ever. The possibility of price rises is becoming increasingly apparent, much to the dismay of Moroccan households. The government is striving to meet the needs of its citizens, but can they afford this year’s sacrifice?
Agriculture Minister Mohamed Sadiki has confirmed that the unprecedented drought experienced by the Kingdom over the last three years has had a significant impact on the agricultural sector in general and on the national livestock in all its forms, particularly in terms of numbers and productivity, due to the imbalance in livestock reproduction.
The Minister acknowledged disruptions in red meat prices, with an increase of around 20% due to higher production costs resulting mainly from the deterioration in the vegetation cover of pastures, forage shortages and the rise in livestock feed prices following the pattern of world prices, noting that 30% of feed is produced locally and 15% is imported.
To ensure stable supplies for the national market, the Minister indicated in response to a parliamentary question that “the government has taken several measures, including continued support for animal feed through the purchase, transport and distribution of subsidized feed (6 million quintals of subsidized barley and 3.2 million quintals of compound feed)”.
As part of the same government measures to deal with the disruption of red meat prices on Moroccan markets, the government official emphasized the opening up and stimulation of imports by suspending customs duties applied to cattle for slaughter and fattening, and opening up new markets for cattle imports, for example South America, due to the low supply on European markets and the high cost of importing them.
The Minister of Agriculture recorded that “these measures will help to reduce production costs and, consequently, stabilize feed prices to relatively control livestock prices and guarantee their stability in the run-up to Eid al-Adha, in order to ensure the smooth running of this religious tradition under the best possible conditions”.
Sadiki mentioned the holding of a series of meetings with the professionals concerned with the aim of ensuring the supply of the national market under the best conditions, specifying that the competent services of the Ministry are working to monitor the wholesale and retail prices of red meat on a daily basis in all regions of the kingdom, using a specific “Asaar (prices)” information system.
On the other hand, the Minister of Agriculture confirmed that “as part of the green generation strategy, a program has been agreed with red meat professionals for the period 2021-2030, aimed at improving livestock productivity, organizing and modernizing slaughtering operations, and developing and modernizing marketing and distribution channels”.
Sadiki concluded that the government, through this program which represents a total planned investment of 14.45 billion dirhams, including 8 billion from the State’s contribution, aims to achieve several results by 2030, including the production of 850 thousand tons of red meat, the adoption of 120 slaughterhouses and the increase of the average weight at slaughter to 270 kg for cattle and 20 kg for sheep.
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