King Mohammed VI has asked the Moroccans to abstain from the Muslim ritual of slaughtering sheep during this year’s Eid Festival, as the country’s cattle herds plummeted.
The shortage is attributed to a seven-year drought.
Born on June Eid al-Adha, the day of Eid al-Adha, commemorates the will of the prophet Ibrahim or Abraham, who sacrificed his son by God’s command.
Muslims mark events by slaughtering sheep or other animals, meat is shared among families and donated to the poor.
Official data shows that Moroccan cattle herds shrank by 38% in a decade due to dry pastures.
Meat prices are rotating, importing 100,000 sheep from Australia.
“In such a difficult situation, in such a difficult situation, it will cause significant harm to the majority of our people’s population,” Mohammed VI said in a speech read by the Minister of Religious Affairs on Wednesday.
His father, Hassan II, also suffered a prolonged drought in 1966.
Morocco’s Minister of Agriculture Ahmed Bouari explained the challenge in a recent interview, saying: “The need to provide water for priority sectors such as driving and industries” means agriculture is the worst attack, and “most areas of irrigation are subject to strict regulations and moisture”.
Import and VAT for cattle, sheep, camels and red meat were recently lifted to help stabilize prices in Morocco.
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