The results of granting sheep import support anger “excluded people” amid demands for transparency

The electronic newspaper Hespress learned, from informed professional sources, that “the regulations revealed by the official authorities regarding those accepted to benefit from the 500 dirhams per head import subsidy created a kind of anger among investors who submitted applications and were rejected without providing a background for the rejection,” highlighting that “there is a trend now Towards a correspondence via a judicial commissioner to Muhammad Al-Siddiqi, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests.

The newspaper’s sources explained that “coordination is underway between a group of the ‘rejected’ who submitted requests to import an amount of less than 6,000 heads for each investor, with the aim of drafting a petition to be submitted to the guardian ministry,” stressing that “the rejected have the right to inquire, because some small enterprises will face a blow.” judge; Given that importing in the cows and livestock sector is its exclusive profession.”

“Logistical problems”

A professional source explained to Hespress that “practical difficulties prevent the import of about 300,000 heads within two months; Given the logistics that are not sufficiently available to carry out this operation,” he noted, “If we wanted to import this quantity, in fact, before Eid al-Adha, we would need the movement of dozens of trucks and ships on a daily basis, and this seems difficult from the point of view of the region if we look at it as professionals who are aware of these difficulties.”

In the same direction related to imports, the source, who preferred to remain anonymous due to his direct connection to the “supply process,” warned against “directing quantities that may enter the Kingdom of Morocco toward slaughterhouses.” Because in this sense, the beneficiary will be the importer and the butcher,” stressing that “the support was allocated exclusively to citizens, and it must be directed towards meeting the needs of Moroccans during the ritual of slaughter.”

He continued, saying: “There are many challenges that will face the official body in this regard, because grievances and protests by importing professionals will begin. But the other challenge is to do what is necessary to allocate additional procedures in order to track the fate of the importer, so that he is not deceived and directed to slaughter now and exploiting the circumstance of high meat prices that suddenly increased frighteningly on the eve of Eid in wholesale markets, reaching 90 dirhams in some areas.”

“Greater transparency”

Abdel Ali Ramo, President of the National Association of Red Meat Sellers in Morocco, said in a statement to Hespress, “What some professional bodies have raised regarding announcing the results of companies accepted for import requires more transparency, so that we can know each company’s share of the total amount of import,” stressing that “There are reports that investors have applied to many fraudulent companies, and we need clarifications.”

In the same context, Ramo stated, “There is indeed a need to know the fate of these livestock that will enter the national market and not to allow them to be permanently destined for slaughter, but rather for Eid al-Adha,” noting that “the quality of the imported livestock is also necessary given that the majority of Moroccans slaughter males.” He said: “We have to know the real amount of sheep in the country, in order to know the real size that we will need to import.”

The aforementioned professional warned of “the need to be careful to allocate support in the future for national production, since now we will reluctantly accept imports to fill the shortage,” highlighting that “preserving the sustainability of the livestock sector in Morocco requires more care and support, so that it is competitive and able to meet the needs of Moroccans throughout the year and also On Eid al-Adha, since the Moroccan person is known for his loyalty to everything “my country,” even meat.

On the other hand, the National Professional Office for Cereals and Cotton “ONICL” revealed that “requests related to the import of subsidized sheep, submitted by importers during the period from March 29 to April 5, 2024, exceeded the government’s target number for this process, which is 300,000 heads.” He pointed out that this “led to the formation of a follow-up committee by the Minister of Agriculture to allocate the number eligible to receive partial support for each importer who submitted his application.”

The office indicated, in a report seen by Hespress, that “the committee that was established met on April 8, 2024 and developed a list of importers eligible to obtain sheep import support.” But it seems that the result sparked a debate that angered a group of importing professionals whose applications were “ineligible,” as indicated by the statement of the National Professional Office for Cereals and Cotton, and who are seeking clarification regarding the “ineligibility,” as they put it.