Morocco will step up subsidies for feed barley as the lack of rainfall so far this year bodes ill for the farming sector. The agriculture ministry has already spent 55 million dirhams in feed subsidies and plans to spend an additional 211 million dirhams ($22.2 million) to subsidise 120,000 tonnes of feed barley for farmers to rear their livestock.
The quality of Moroccan cereals may further deteriorate this year in the absence of rainfall. The latter was 40% lower so far this year compared with last year, while the agricultural dam storage rate shrunk to 45% by March 9 compared with 59% same period last year.