Morocco’s Poultry Industry Faces 50% Demand Drop Amid Pandemic

Poultry farmers are struggling to sell their poultry due to the impact of the health crisis on the activity of restaurateurs, caterers, snack bars, hotels, and collective kitchens, reports l’Economiste. Farms, teeming with poultry, are having a hard time finding a dwindling customer base.

According to the Interprofessional Federation of the Poultry Sector (FISA), 625,000 tons of broiler meat were produced in 2019, compared to 570,000 in 2018 (up 9.6%). With their backs to the wall, producers no longer know which way to turn.

Several producers prefer to brood for longer, while others reform their breeders prematurely, at 50-53 weeks instead of 64-65 weeks. A measure that the president of FISA considers insufficient as it cannot be done on a large scale. "Indeed, if they destroy the breeders and in 2-3 months the demand returns to its normal level, the shortfall will be significant. It will take an additional 17 months to regain the usual level of demand," he said.

Thanks to its 45 hatcheries, the poultry industry was producing nearly 9.5 million chicks (broilers) per week, compared to 6 and 7 million heads. The Moroccan market has 27 industrial slaughterhouses and several thousand traditional slaughterhouses nationwide. Reforms are underway, including a modernization grant of 30,000 DH to encourage traditional slaughterhouse owners to modernize slaughter conditions. "Awareness campaigns have been held to explain the specifications and the procedures for obtaining the subsidies," added Chaouki Jerrari.