As part of the daily monitoring of the market situation in all regions of the Kingdom and in the context of the state of health emergency decreed in our country to fight Covid-19, agricultural activity and production are continuing normally in terms of harvesting and new plantations, the ministry said in a statement.
The operators of the sector at the level of the links of production, packaging, processing and distribution maintain a normal rhythm of their activity, underlined the ministry, pointing out that the prices of certain food products which have witnessed punctual increases return to normal, while those of the agro-food products of mass consumption remain stable.
The crop rotations set up during the winter season and in particular for consumer vegetables (tomato, onion and potato), for which production is under way, will largely cover the consumption needs of these products during the months of April and May, the statement added.
The sowing of spring crops is proceeding normally and achievements to the end of March have reached 50 % of the established program overall, the rest will be sown during April, it noted, indicating that the expected production from spring and summer sowings should largely cover the consumption needs of these products for the period June-December 2020.
The country's supply of cereals and pulses is running smoothly and the measures taken in collaboration with operators in the sector have made it possible to secure the country's supply and meet needs, according to the same source, noting that imports of cereals and pulses have strengthened stocks and made it possible to maintain them continuously at a level enabling coverage of 3 to 4 months depending on the product, particularly for wheat, maize, barley and pulses.
The ministry also noted that the cyclical increase in consumer demand for these products, particularly flour and semolina, is largely met by increased levels of crushing by industrialists, pointing out that the mills have responded quickly to demand by increasing their rate of operation and distribution.
In addition, the ministry stressed that the health status of the national herd is good and that close monitoring is carried out throughout the country by the provincial and prefectural services of the National Food Safety Office (ONSSA) with the support of private veterinarians.