Morocco Receives Shipment of 2,800 Heads of Cattle from Brazil

Morocco received on Sunday a shipment of 2,800 heads of cattle in the Jorf Lasfar Port from Brazil. The new shipment is part of the country’s ongoing efforts to stabilize prices by increasing market supply.

Rabat – Morocco received on Sunday a shipment of 2,800 heads of cattle in the Jorf Lasfar Port from Brazil. The new shipment is part of the country’s ongoing efforts to stabilize prices by increasing market supply.

According to a statement from the Regional Director of Agriculture in the Casablanca-Settat region, Hssain Rahaoui, is the largest and the first shipment to arrive from Brazil.

Rahaoui added that the Casablanca-Settat region will receive 6,448 heads, said the official.

Amid international concerns about the quality of the cattle in Brazil, a report from Morocco’s state-owned media, MAP, maintains that the shipment of cattle has been subject to “strict control processes” imposed by Morocco’s food safety watchdog ONSSA.

The CEO of the company responsible for shipping the cattle, Doukkala, Abdelfattah Ammar, said that the Moroccan veterinary services, verified the shipment meets the standards and health requirements, and authorized the company to complete the import process.

In March, a total of 5,129 heads were imported, including 4,529 heads of cattle and 600 heads of sheep against 1,919 heads of cattle imported during the month of February 2023.

The country announced in February plans to import 30,000 heads of cattle from Brazil and Uruguay in an attempt to weather price inflation in the market. Over the past year, red meat saw a dramatic rise in prices growing by more than 50% in value. One kilogram of red meat now averages more than MAD 120 ($11), up from MAD 70 ($7) in October 2022.

Rising prices of red meat are largely due to the drop in local production in the past two years on the backdrop of the drought and the rising cost of production.