Professionals throw the ball of high meat prices into the Ministry of Agriculture’s court, amid expectations of further price increases

Agadir24

Livestock importers and sellers have blamed the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests for the high prices of red meat, accusing it of mismanagement and mismanagement, which has led to a scarcity of meat and consequently an increase in its prices.

In this context, the Moroccan Federation of Livestock Sector Actors came out to denounce the deplorable situation that the red meat sector in Morocco is experiencing due to the scarcity of sheep and cattle for slaughter and fattening.

The Federation noted the lack of a clear vision by the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests and the National Office for Food Safety to get out of the crisis experienced by the red meat sector, denouncing the lack of involvement of real professionals in managing the sector’s problems.

On the other hand, the Federation criticised the marginalisation of a wide range of actors, including small and medium-sized farmers, importers, wholesalers and retailers, and their exclusion from dialogue and expressing opinions in order to find necessary solutions.

In another context, the aforementioned professional body expressed its rejection of the concerned ministry’s decision to issue new specifications without consulting with importers who are suffering with exporters because of them.

The same body threatened to develop a program of struggle, awareness-raising and legal action and to confront, by all legitimate legal means, any decision that aims to serve certain interests and strikes at the interests of the real actors in the sector, according to its expression.

In his interaction with the subject, the head of the Moroccan Federation of Livestock Sector Operators, Amin Harma, revealed that the way in which the sector is managed is leading it to the abyss, stressing that the cessation of these professionals from importing due to the absence of dialogue with the ministry and the failure to respond to their demands will lead to an increase in the prices of red meat sales more than they are today.

Harma noted that “excluding importers and not involving stakeholders in the sector will contribute to raising the prices of red meat,” adding that he expects “prices to witness a significant increase in the first week of September, which may reach 150 dirhams per kilogram.”

The speaker concluded that the various measures that were taken were carried out without involving the actors and importers in particular within the Moroccan Federation of Livestock Sector Actors, and meetings were held without their presence or opinion, which will have negative repercussions on the sector.