6.2 billion Dirhams to rebuild livestock numbers
Breeders must be rubbing their hands. The Minister of Agriculture has announced a program of measures designed to reconstitute the national herd. The total cost of this scheme will reach 6.2 billion Dirhams (USD 620 million), including almost 3 billion Dirhams (USD 300 million) by the end of 2025.
The remaining 3.2 billion Dirhams (USD 320 million) are earmarked for next year. These funds are earmarked for direct assistance to breeders who have succeeded in preserving female sheep and goats, in order to ensure the sustainability of the national herd.
Royal instructions for the implementation of this program are firm: professionalism and objective criteria, entrusting the management of aid to commissions supervised by local authorities. A joint circular with the Ministry of the Interior will be issued to explicitly clarify the roles of the various parties involved in this operation, at least that’s what Ahmed El Bouari said at the end of the Government Council meeting. According to him, this new program, which aims to capitalize on the positive impact of the recent rains, reflects HM the King’s constant attention to the rural world and all components of the agricultural sector. It is based on five main pillars.
The first priority is to restructure farmers’ debts by reducing the debt burden for around 50,000 farmers, at a total cost of 700 million Dirhams (USD 70 million). In practice, the aim is to cancel 50% of debts (capital and interest) amounting to less than 100,000 Dirhams (USD 10,000). This category represents 75% of beneficiaries, who are small-scale livestock farmers. The idea is also to write off 25% of debts (capital and interest) between 100,000 and 200,000 Dirhams (USD 10,000 and 20,000). This category represents 11% of beneficiaries. A final component of this pillar consists of restructuring farmers’ debts, with late interest waived for loans exceeding 200,000 Dirhams (USD 20,000).
Secondly, support for livestock feed, in particular by subsidizing the sale price of barley by 7 million quintals (1,543,235,835 pounds), so that the sale price per kilo is set at 1.5 Dirham (USD 0.15). The sales price of compound feed for sheep and goats will also be subsidized up to the same limit of 7 million quintals, so that it will be set at 2 Dirhams (USD 0.2) per kilogram (2.2 lb). A budget of around 2.5 billion Dirhams (USD 250 million) will be earmarked for the implementation of this measure.
Mohamed CHAOUI
