Rabat (Pakistan News Online) The King of Morocco has appealed to the people to refrain from sacrificing animals on the occasion of Eid al-Adha this year, as the country is suffering from severe drought, due to which the number of livestock has decreased significantly and meat prices have increased sharply.
Daily Pakistan quoted news agency AFP as saying that every year Muslims around the world sacrifice millions of animals on the occasion of Eid al-Adha.
However, Morocco has been struggling with drought for seven consecutive years, due to which the number of livestock has decreased by 38 percent in the last 12 months.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, this year’s rainfall has decreased by 53 percent compared to the last 30 years, which has caused severe difficulties for the agricultural sector and livestock farmers.
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI issued a statement on state television through the Minister of Religious Affairs, saying “our country is facing environmental and economic challenges, which have resulted in a significant decline in the number of livestock.”
He appealed to the public to refrain from performing the sacrificial ritual this year.
A similar situation arose in 1966. At that time, King Mohammed VI’s father, Hassan II, was in power, and he asked the public to refrain from sacrificing animals during a prolonged drought in the country.
The decline in the number of livestock in Morocco has led to a sharp increase in meat prices, which is placing an additional financial burden on low-income people, while the minimum monthly wage in the country has reached the equivalent of about 290 euros (about 85,000 rupees).