The Head of Government holds meeting with red meat chain professionals

The Head of Government, Mr. Aziz  Akhannouch held, Monday in Rabat, a meeting with red meat chain professionals represented in the FIVIAR Red Meat Federation, representatives of the Moroccan Confederation of Agriculture and Rural Development (COMADER), the National Association of Sheep and Goat Breeders (ANOC), the Federation of Dairy Chain (FIMALAIT), and representatives of the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM), in the presence of Mr. Mohamed Sadiki, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests, and M. Fouzi Lekjaa, Minister Delegate to Minister of Economy and Finance in charge of the budget, and Mr. Abdallah Janati, Director General of the National Office for Sanitary Safety of Food Products. 

During the meeting, preparations for Eid al-Adha were discussed, where the good health status of the herd was identified, thanks to the continuous efforts made by the National Office for Health Safety of Food Products "ONSA" in the field of continuous health monitoring of the national herd and protection of the herd from infectious animal diseases, and the pace of the process of numbering sheep and goats prepared for Eid. The meeting was also devoted to examining the situation of the red meat sector and measures to ensure its development at the national level, as well as the state of supply of the internal market, and the pace of the import process for animals intended for slaughter, which will enable the stability of prices and the preservation and restructuring of the national herd. Since the beginning of the import process, in February 2023, about 22,000 cattle and about 10,000 sheep have been imported.
 

During the meeting, the Head of Government, Mr. Aziz  Akhannouch stressed that the government has taken several urgent measures to work to rebalance the chain and form the herd in the near term within the framework of a program contract prepared with professionals, which will soon be signed between the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests, professionals and the Federation of Red Meat, with the aim of supplying the national market with sufficient quantities of meat and stabilizing prices, noting that several measures have been taken to import cows and sheep destined for slaughter, including stopping the fulfillment of The applicable tax and VAT, which has already been the subject of important communication by the government. 

The Head of Government also called on professionals to continue efforts to accelerate the pace of imports in order to ensure abundant production and continuous supply to the national market at reasonable prices, stressing that the government will accompany professionals by taking the necessary measures. The meeting was an opportunity to evaluate the measures taken to confront the problem of the rise and disturbances in the prices of meat since last October, after the meat chain faced several constraints throughout the Corona pandemic period, followed by a drought period, and these crises resulted in an increase in the cost of production, which led to the loss of balance of the chain.