Rabat – Morocco has officially canceled Eid Al Adha, the Islamic ritual sacrifice of cattle, due to the ongoing drought crisis and attendant challenges that have negatively impacted Morocco’s agriculture seasons and the country’s entire economy for the past six years.
Minister of Islamic Affairs Ahmed Toufiq announced the news in a televised message, stressing that the announcement is in line with King Mohammed VI’s directives.
“Our concern to enable you to observe this religious ritual in the best circumstances is accompanied by our duty to consider the climate and economic challenges facing our country, which have led to a significant disease in livestock numbers,” the monarch said in his directives.
He stressed that performing Eid Al Adha under these challenges “would cause real harm to many of our people, particularly those with limited resources.”
As the Moroccan economy reels from a six-year ongoing drought crisis, King Mohammed VI is urging Moroccans not to celebrate the ritual of Eid al-Adha this year.
Morocco has been grappling with a series of challenges due to poor rainfalls, prompting measures to meet local needs.
In particular, the country has turned to importing many products it used to produce in sufficient quantities, including wheat and red meat.
Despite this policy of subsidized imports, inflation has been weighing down Moroccans’ purchasing power. A kilogram of pounded meat can reach MAD 120 while a kilogram of beef is estimated around MAD 90 and over MAD 100.
King Mohammed VI’s historic announcement canceling the celebration of one of Islam’s most important festivals comes after Morocco’s Agriculture Minister made concerning statements made in an interview in an interview with France 24.
Ahmed Bouari acknowledged that water shortage has prompted serious concerns across Morocco, reaching near structural water stress in the country.
The situation is “expected to worsen due to increased water demand and rapid climate changes,” he lamented. “The country is experiencing fluctuations and declines in rainfall, negatively impacting water imports and consequently affecting dam levels and groundwater reserves.”
Bouari said water reserves in Moroccan dams do not exceed 4.6 billion cubic meters, with a filling rate of 28%.
Of this, 70% is concentrated in the Sebou and Loukkos basins in the north.
“Due to the need to secure water for priority sectors, such as driving and industry, the agricultural sector remains the most affected, with most irrigation areas subject to strict regulations and water rationing,” the minister explained.
He recalled strategies and measures Morocco has put in place in recent months, including the dam policy to increase storage capacity to 26 billion cubic meters as well as diversifying water resources.
Many Moroccan netizens have been calling for the cancellation of the feast under #CancelEidAlAdha hashtag in Arabic.
The King’s decision is expected to receive applause as many have been grappling with socio-economic challenges and complaining about the high prices of commodities.
Morocco has previously canceled Eid Al Adha celebrations on three occasions during the reign of the late King Hassan II.
The first time was in 1963 when the late King announced the cancellation of the sacrifice ritual due to the “Sand War” between Morocco and Algeria.
The second time was when Morocco suffered from a severe drought in 1981, while the third time was in 1996, due to waves of severe lack of downpours that peaked in 1995.
