Eid al-Adha Sheep Market Struggles as City Closures Impact Breeders and Buyers

The sheep market risks turning into a slump for breeders, three days before the feast of sacrifice, reports l’Economiste. On several platforms in the region, the gloom is palpable. "It’s a grim situation for breeders, three days before the feast of sacrifice," observes the same daily.

At these platforms, the supply is abundant, unlike the clientele which is becoming increasingly rare. On site, Sardi, Tamhdite and Bergui breed lambs are being sold at prices never recorded in several decades. As for the prices, they vary between 1,500 and 2,500 dirhams for good quality sheep, while the prices for small goats do not exceed 700 dirhams.

Faced with the gloom, the act of purchasing becomes very rare among some heads of households who occasionally take a tour to gauge the temperature of the market. According to the same daily, the trend should probably evolve for certain breeders with the payment of salaries and state aid expected at the beginning of the week. The closure of eight cities located on the Tangier-Casablanca-Marrakech axis has added to the misery of the breeders who are working to save the season disrupted by the health crisis. This axis concentrates the majority of the population, but also the bulk of the supply of sheep and goats.

To avoid any relaxation and the multiplication of epidemiological outbreaks, the government has taken a battery of additional measures to be observed by the operators, including the publication of a guide of preventive health measures to be respected on the day of Eid, in particular by butchers and in livestock markets, notes l’Économiste. To this are added the opening of additional temporary souks for Eid al-Adha and the strengthening of the control of the transport of animals throughout the territory.

As for the activities related to the practice of the rite, they will be subject to health measures and closely monitored by the services of the two ministries, in close coordination with the municipalities and the professional organizations concerned.