Morocco Faces Sheepless Eid Amid Prolonged Drought and Livestock Crisis

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Morocco is preparing for an unusually subdued Eid al-Adha celebration as the government, citing severe drought and economic hardship, has urged citizens to forego the traditional sheep sacrifice this year.

The rare appeal—only the second of its kind after a similar request by the late King Hassan II in 1996—comes as the country faces a seventh consecutive year of drought, which has drastically reduced livestock numbers and driven up prices.

“We don’t feel the usual excitement,” said Fatima Kharraz, 52, who explained that the cost of a sacrificial sheep had become unaffordable. “It’s as if the holiday doesn’t exist.”

At the livestock market in Khemisset, about 100 kilometres from Rabat, the absence of sheep days before the festival told a stark story. Cattle and horses stood in nearly empty pens, and breeders like 24-year-old Marouane Haizoun said they left sheep at home, fearing no one could afford them.

Agriculture Minister Ahmed Bouari stated that Morocco typically sacrifices around six million sheep during Eid. But recent grazing and feed shortages—driven by declining rainfall—have reduced the national livestock population by over a third since 2016.

Red meat prices have surged beyond the reach of many households, with some sheep projected to cost up to 7,000 dirhams ($760), while the national minimum monthly wage hovers just above 3,000 dirhams ($325).

Many families, like that of shopper Mona Hajjami, are turning to smaller meat cuts or lamb liver to observe the holiday in a more modest way. “It’s normal to feel a void without an atmosphere of grilled meat,” she said, though she supports the king’s call.

In March, King Mohammed VI cited “climate and economic challenges” in announcing the recommendation, a sentiment largely echoed across the country. Last month, the government unveiled a 6.2 billion dirham ($675 million) relief package aimed at supporting herders through subsidies and debt relief.

However, smaller breeders like Haizoun and Mustapha Mastour expressed concern that such aid often benefits larger livestock owners.

Despite online misinformation suggesting drones and penalties for defying the royal directive, the appeal has been widely accepted by Moroccans, many of whom acknowledge the exceptional hardship facing the country’s rural communities.

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