Mustafa Paytas, Minister Delegate in charge of relations with Parliament and the official spokesman for the government, confirmed that the latter was harnessing “all capabilities” with the aim of addressing the problems associated with ensuring that Eid al-Adha passes in the best conditions.
Paytas, who was speaking during a press conference that followed the work of the Government Council, today, Thursday, May 2, said reassuringly that “the government is harnessing all possible capabilities, by approving these mechanisms and mechanisms, in order to address this problem,” adding: “We see that with the intensification of imports, there can be “Our intervention has a meaningful impact for the benefit of society.”
On a previous occasion, the official spokesman for the government indicated that there is a desire this year to double the import numbers, which amounted to 600 thousand heads, while they remain “potential to rise,” despite his acknowledgment that it is a “complex and difficult process,” adding: “We are trying to simplify the path and legalize it to facilitate imports and provide… Sacrifice for the occasion of Eid al-Adha this year in good conditions.”
Responding to questions from journalists on the subject at a symposium last Thursday, Paytas said, “The possibility of importing in our country was not available because the goal of the government is to protect the national herd,” and he added: “When the government felt that there was a shortage, it opened the door to imports,” stressing He said, “We do not have large specialized importers, but rather there is only a group of professionals who work in this field,” in response to the criticism that specific players control the largest share of imported heads.
“Intervention throughout the value chain”
The topic of inflation is still present in every meeting, among journalists’ questions to the same government official. He highlighted that “the talk often turns to measures to address inflation after it occurs, but we must ask what the government is doing before arriving at the impact of inflation on products.”
Accordingly, Paytas focused on what the government has done to address inflation and how to reduce and eliminate it, from the pre-production stages, throughout the distribution chains, and then marketing, stating that it is “monitoring the situation, and whenever necessary, other interventions will be made.”
He stated that “government intervention concerns a number of concerned sectors, especially in light of the continued lack of precipitation,” highlighting “the intensification and expansion of irrigation areas, which means the production of basic materials that are widely consumed by citizens.”
He recalled that the financial value amounted to “20 billion dirhams” in total, including 10 billion dirhams last year and the same amount this year. “The aim of this government intervention, once again, was to support inputs so that their prices decrease.”
Paytas explained: “First we intervene to control production, then we intervene to control inflation costs, before government intervention at a third level to support the marketing chain and support transportation professionals, for example,” concluding that “government intervention to reduce inflation costs concerns both value chains from distribution to marketing.”
