Moroccowhere chicken meat is a widely consumed staple, is looking to new opportunities on the international stage to meet growing domestic demand. In this context, the National Association of Poultry Meat Producers (APV) proposed adding the UNITED STATES and the United Kingdomi to the list of suppliers in the country.
Mustapha Mountassir, president of the APV, revealed this initiative to the local media Media 24 on January 8. The main objective is to diversify the sources of supply of broiler breeders, a crucial segment for the Moroccan poultry industry. Currently, the country depends mainly on imports from Spain and Francewhich makes the sector vulnerable to fluctuations in European markets.
The use of new suppliers takes place in a context of strong pressure on the internal market. Rising agricultural input costs and harsh weather conditions have contributed to a significant increase in poultry prices. This situation led to increased mortality among chicks and caused prices to soar on the national market.
“The price of the chick, which was 4.5 dirhams ($0.44), now reaches almost 13 dirhams ($1.3). An unprecedented increase in the history of Morocco”, underlined Mustapha Mountassir. At the same time, rising red meat prices are encouraging more consumers to turn to chicken, putting even more pressure on this market.
While this strategy aims to stabilize the domestic market by increasing purchases of breeding chickens, it could also increase the import bill. In 2023, Morocco’s spending in this area already amounted to nearly $24 millionaccording to Trade Map data.
This approach illustrates the efforts of the Moroccan poultry sector to respond to the structural challenges it faces. The diversification of supply sources could not only regulate prices on the local market, but also guarantee better resilience in the face of external hazards.
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