This operation is part of the general census of the national livestock for the year 2024, launched by the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests, as well as the National Association of Sheep and Goat Breeders (ANOC), under the slogan "Our livestock is the wealth of our country", aiming to strengthen the agricultural sector, guarantee food security, improve productivity, and ensure the sustainability of animal resources.
It aims to provide updated data on the national sheep and goat herd, its composition, its geographical distribution, as well as a database on births and herd growth, with a view to supporting the agricultural strategy by optimising policies related to animal resources and preserving local breeds.
In a statement to MAP, the person in charge of the census within the Regional Directorate of Agriculture in the Oriental region, El Hassane Rejmil, noted that the census operation is proceeding under good conditions, noting that nearly 82 investigators have been mobilised throughout the region, including 10 in the Oujda-Angad prefecture, in order to ensure the success of this operation.
According to the latest data, the sheep and goat herd in the Oriental region counts nearly 3.5 million heads, including 350,000 in the Oujda-Angad prefecture, he continued, stressing that the number of breeders is estimated at 60,000 in the region, including 5,500 in the Oujda-Angad prefecture.
He added that this operation will allow for better targeting of future programmes and projects aimed at developing the small ruminant sector and meeting the needs of breeders.
For his part, the investigator in charge of the census in the rural commune of Mestferki (Oujda-Angad prefecture), Bouchaib Karkar, indicated that this operation will allow for updated data on the herd, to measure the impact of successive years of drought on the latter, and to take the necessary measures to support breeders and preserve the national herd.
For his part, Mohamed Aissaoui, a sheep breeder in the Douar of Khrarka (Mestferki commune), expressed the hope that this initiative could help the competent authorities to design and implement development projects aimed at mitigating the effects of the drought, which has lasted for nearly seven years, and to support the efforts of breeders to develop the sector and protect the herd.
The stakeholders are sparing no effort to ensure the success of this operation, supervised by regional and provincial observers, in coordination with local authorities, and which consists of collecting data on the number, breeds, categories, sex, age, and geographical distribution of sheep and goats using specific forms.
