At Talaa Kebira, Bensouda market and butcher shops across Fez, prices vary depending on the cut and quality, but the trend is the same: customers are cutting back while butchers struggle to sell at their usual pace.
Beef currently sells for around 110 dirhams a kilogram at some shops. Ground beef ranges from 120 to 130 dirhams, while fillet can reach 160 dirhams. Lamb starts at around 160 dirhams a kilogram for good-quality cuts and can reach 170 to 180 dirhams for pieces such as chops and leg.
Taoufik Dhioui, a local butcher, said the main driver behind the high prices is the shrinking national livestock herd, combined with the rising cost of buying animals.
But higher prices do not necessarily mean higher profits. Butchers are also dealing with customers who have become much more price-conscious.
“A 25-kilogram sheep can cost around 2,600 dirhams before it even reaches the point of sale,” Dhioui said.
For households with limited purchasing power, even small quantities can be difficult to afford. “Some customers still come in and buy just 10 dirhams’ worth of ground meat,” he said.
That leaves butchers caught between rising supply costs and what their customers can afford. Raising prices to cover their costs risks driving demand down, while lowering them means absorbing part of the increase themselves.
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The drop in demand is visible in sales volumes. Dhioui said his shop used to sell the equivalent of a whole calf every day. He now sells about 40 kilograms of meat a day.
“The problem today is not just the price we pay, but also how difficult it is to sell,” he said.
At Bensouda, fellow butcher Hicham Benabdallah has seen a similar shift. “A customer who used to buy three kilograms now settles for one,” he said.
The result is a change in consumption habits. Households are still buying meat, but they are adjusting quantities to fit their budgets.
Shrinking livestock herd remains a concern
For the butchers interviewed by Le360, the condition of Morocco’s livestock herd remains central to the price pressures.
Dhioui said the current situation reflects difficulties that have built up over several years. He recalled a time when beef sold for 60 to 70 dirhams a kilogram, compared with today’s much higher prices.
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Imports of red meat have also failed, in his view, to produce the expected effect on prices. Dhioui pointed to reluctance among some customers to buy imported meat, including products from Brazil, Uruguay and Spain.
“Some consumers made up their minds about these meats as soon as they arrived and consider them inferior to local meat,” he said.
Dhioui nevertheless stressed that imported meat quality varies depending on the country of origin and the product. But in his experience, a preference for locally sourced meat continues to influence some consumers’ choices.
That could change if high prices persist. “If the crisis continues and prices remain high, consumers may have to look for cheaper alternatives,” he said.
Butcher calls for action across the supply chain
Dhioui said short-term measures would not be enough to address the problem. He called for action across the entire supply chain, from livestock farming to retail.
“The work needs to start at the source, by supporting farmers, improving farming conditions and access to feed, and then regulating the different stages of production, transport and distribution,” he said.
Better organization of the supply chain, he added, could make it easier to track how costs and prices are formed at each stage before the meat reaches consumers.
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For butchers, a quick return to previous price levels remains uncertain. Benabdallah said prices could stay high without a sustained plan to protect the sector and rebuild domestic supply.
In Fez, the impact is already visible: high prices, smaller purchases and falling sales for butchers. For the professionals interviewed, rebuilding the livestock herd and restoring domestic supply will be key to bringing the market back into balance.
