Sadiki: “The importation of red meat is an exceptional and temporary measure”

Hibapress

The importation of red meats “is considered an exceptional and circumstantial measure”, affirmed, Monday in the House of Representatives, the Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests, Mohamed Sadiki .

In response to an oral question on the rise in prices of red meat in Morocco posed by the Socialist Group – Ittihadie Opposition, Mr. Sadiki denied “the existence of any exclusion of anyone from the benefit of the sheep import subsidy », specifying that the quantity is fixed at 600,000 head, that the number of importers reaches 100, and that the import rate for each of them varies between 3,000 and 20,000 head.

Concerning the factors which explain the increase in red meat prices, the minister stressed that “the disruptions experienced by meat prices result from the increase in production costs, due to the deterioration of the plant cover of pastures and of the scarcity of fodder production, in addition to the increase in animal feed prices by 70%.

And he continued that the unprecedented drought experienced by Morocco over the last three years “had a major impact on the agricultural sector in general and on the national livestock of all types in terms of quantity and productivity, due to of reproductive imbalance.

In order to ensure the stability of the supply of red meat to the national market, the government has taken several measures, including subsidizing the feed of animal production on a continuous basis, promoting imports through the suspension of import duties. importation applied to cattle intended for slaughter and fattening, and the opening of new markets for the importation of cattle, in particular that of South America, recalled Mr. Sadiki.

In this same vein, and in response to an oral question on “the supply of national markets with red meat”, posed by the Authenticity and Modernity Group, the minister cited the signing of a program contract with meat professionals. red for the period 2021-2030, which aims to improve livestock productivity, organize and modernize slaughter operations, as well as develop and modernize marketing and distribution circuits.

He thus indicated that the total investment planned for this program amounts to 14.45 billion dirhams (billion dirhams), including a State contribution of 8 billion dirhams, noting that the expected results on the horizon 2030 are the production of 850,000 tonnes of red meat, the certification of 120 slaughterhouses and the increase in the average weight of animals slaughtered to 270 kg for cattle and 20 kg for sheep.