Following the Istiqlal Party's questions on August 28 about Morocco's official livestock figures, the PPS stepped in on Wednesday, calling for an urgent meeting in the House of Representatives to address the issue. On August 25, the Ministry of Agriculture announced that «Morocco has recorded an increase in livestock numbers, reaching a total of 32,832,573, according to a national census carried out between June 26 and August 11». The figures, however, were met with skepticism. On Wednesday, Rachid Hammouni, head of the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS) parliamentary group, called for an urgent meeting of the House of Representatives' Productive Sectors Commission, with the Minister of Agriculture present, to discuss «issues related to statistics and support for rebuilding the national livestock herd». «It is essential that the House of Representatives examine recent developments and irregularities in efforts to rebuild the national herd, as well as the various forms of support provided. This review should take into account the newly published figures, the latest policy measures, and the recent decision to suspend tax and customs exemptions on imports of sheep and goats, while excluding cattle from the measure», Hammouni wrote in his request to the Commission's president. The Istiqlal Party's Concerns Hammouni noted «the very significant discrepancy revealed by the new national livestock census compared to the data released by the government just a few months ago». He emphasized the need to properly assess the impact and underlying causes of this discrepancy in order to avoid repeating the same mistakes and to guide future decisions. According to the Ministry's August 25 statement, Morocco currently has 23,158,248 sheep, including 16,348,449 females; 7,474,172 goats, including 5,293,805 females; 2,094,109 cattle, including 1,556,842 females; and 106,044 camels, including 91,432 females. Yet on February 14, 2025, Agriculture Minister Ahmed El Bouari of the RNI said at a press briefing that «the Moroccan cattle and sheep herd had decreased by 38%». The PPS request came after earlier concerns raised by the Istiqlal Party, a member of the governing coalition. On August 28, Al Alam, the party's daily newspaper, published an article by its director Abdellah Bekkali, a former MP, noting that the Ministry's August 25 figures «raise pressing questions and therefore require convincing answers». In response, Redouane Arrach, Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture since January 2022, appeared on Al Aoula's evening news last week to speak of a «slight rebuilding of the Moroccan livestock». He also acknowledged a «deficit» in the number of camels and cattle. The government now has the discretion to accept or reject Hammouni's request for a commission hearing.
