In recent weeks, the prices of several basic food products have seen a dizzying increase, as the holy month of Ramadan approaches. Red meat, to name a few, has seen a significant increase, sometimes exceeding 100 DH/Kg for veal and between 100 and 120 DH/Kg for mutton. As for the prices of vegetables and fruits, each day its price, “ depending on the market situation“, which raised the indignation of Moroccan citizens, especially those with low and modest incomes.
Faced with citizens’ grumbling about the rise in red meat prices, professionals have reacted and are also complaining about this surge, which they justify by the scarcity of the product on the national market and the high royalties imposed on the imports, calling for the opening of real channels of dialogue before the arrival of the month of Ramadan and Eid Al-Adha in order to remedy the shortage and allow customers to obtain meat at reasonable prices.
In this direction, MoroccoLatestNews Ar conducted an exclusive interview with the Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Waters and Forests, Mohamed Sadiki, the entirety of which will be published this Tuesday, February 14.
In response to questions raised by the editor of MoroccoLatestNews ArAbderrahim Elasri, the Minister of Agriculture, Mohamed Sadiki, first recalled the measures ” concrete » taken by the government for a return to normal prices of agricultural products, noting that the area of vegetable production in Morocco is now sufficient and meets the needs of the national market.
Concerning the vertiginous rise in the price of red meat, which has pushed citizens to fall back on poultry meat, thus causing a rise in the price of the latter, Minister Sadiki explained that the red meat production chain has lost its balance since the Covid-19 pandemic, due to the cessation of cow vaccination for two years, in addition to the drought season that the Kingdom has experienced for the past two years.
Thus, the government official revealed that 30,000 head of cows will arrive in Morocco over the next few days, indicating that the Kingdom will import a total of 200,000 heads until next summer to provide sufficient stocks of red meat and avoid any problems. in the future linked to the scarcity of the product and the high prices.
With regard to the wholesale price of red meat outside Casablanca, the Minister of Agriculture indicated that the price fell on Tuesday between 72 and 75 dirhams per kilo, whereas a week ago it was between 80 and 85 dirhams.
Interacting with the criticisms regarding the supply of Moroccan agricultural products to European markets at the expense of the needs of the national market, Mohamed Sadiki confirmed that the government gives priority to the internal market, thus raising the problem of speculation on the markets which increase the unreasonably priced.
In conclusion, the Minister of Agriculture also addressed the issue of scarcity in the water sector in the light of the growing calls to put an end to crops that deplete our water resources, and the government’s efforts to support farmers to cope with the effects of drought, in addition to the prospects and implementation bets of the new strategy ” Generation Green 2020-2030 and its contribution to ensuring food security and strengthening the food sovereignty of the Kingdom.