Sheep Prices Surge in Morocco as Eid Al-Adha Approaches and Expats Return Home

What could justify the rise in the price of sheep as Eid Al-Adha approaches? For some, the drought and the war in Ukraine have played a major role in this situation, but for others the reasons are elsewhere. Through the Marhaba 2022 operation, thousands of MREs have returned to Morocco to see their loved ones and will take advantage of it to spend Eid Al-Adha with their families, which would have generated strong demand for the holiday.

The situation is a boon for intermediaries who, according to Abderrahmane Mejdoubi, president of the National Sheep and Goat Association (ANOC), are the main responsible for the rise in sheep prices. In an interview with TelQuel, he states that the price increase is stronger in the big cities, because of the intermediaries. "The increases could go up to 700 dirhams per head. But this increase did not take place throughout the territory."

He explains that even if the price of raw materials has doubled due to the war in Ukraine, the State has taken measures to maintain a certain stability in the price of sheep, it is clear that the arrival of the MREs is a factor that has further motivated the price increase. "I even think we can count on 200,000 additional sheep this year. The main reason is the arrival of Moroccans residing abroad (MREs) during this summer season," he said.