Morocco’s feed and poultry industries are facing mounting pressure after weeks of disruption to feedstuff imports, leaving feed mills and poultry producers struggling to secure essential raw materials needed to maintain operations, industry groups said.
In January 2026, Morocco’s major ports experienced severe operational disruption as a series of powerful low-pressure systems swept across the North Atlantic and the Bay of Biscay. Gale-force winds, high swells and poor visibility made it unsafe for vessels to approach ports or for cranes to operate, resulting in significant cargo backlogs and delays.
Major global shipping lines, including CMA CGM, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, ordered vessels bound for Moroccan ports to halt operations and remain anchored in safe waters rather than attempt to dock during the storms, according to shipping and industry sources.
We are facing a severe shortage of feed and raw materials, primarily corn and soy, which risks triggering an unprecedented crisis in supplying the national market with broiler chickens.”
—Mustafa Al-Muntasir, head of the National Association of Poultry Meat Producers
Feed industry at critical point
The prolonged disruption has pushed Morocco’s feed industry to a critical point, the Association of Compound Feed Manufacturers in Morocco said in a letter addressed to the Ministry of Agriculture. The organisation, which represents the country’s feed mills, urged authorities to take immediate action to prevent the transport crisis from escalating into a broader supply shock. In the letter, feed manufacturers warned of a “direct inability to produce and provide the necessary compound feeds for the livestock sector in general, and the poultry sector in particular.” They also cautioned that the financial burden associated with vessels stranded offshore would inevitably increase production costs and disrupt the supply of animal products to the market.
Morocco’s feed industry is heavily reliant on imports, with nearly 90% of feed raw materials sourced from abroad. At the same time, the country lacks sufficient grain storage capacity to build strategic reserves that could cushion the sector during prolonged supply disruptions, leaving producers especially vulnerable to logistical shocks.
Calls for urgent measures
As an immediate mitigation measure, feed manufacturers proposed granting priority berthing and unloading rights to vessels carrying feed raw materials. Such a step, they argued, could help alleviate shortages and prevent a complete halt in feed production.
Poultry producers’ growing concerns
Concerns have also been echoed by poultry producers. The National Association of Poultry Meat Producers warned that compound feed factories are increasingly unable to obtain key inputs, threatening the stability of the entire animal production chain. “Compound feed factories are unable to secure the basic materials needed for feed production, which threatens the collapse of the entire animal production system and could ultimately lead to the bankruptcy of breeders,” the association said in a statement.
Mustafa Al-Muntasir, head of the National Association of Poultry Meat Producers, said the situation was causing deep anxiety across the sector. He highlighted acute shortages of critical raw materials such as corn and soy, which are essential for broiler production. “We are facing a severe shortage of feed and raw materials, primarily corn and soy, which risks triggering an unprecedented crisis in supplying the national market with broiler chickens,” Al-Muntasir said.
Potential impact on consumers
Consumer groups have also raised concerns. Noureddine Hamano, president of the Moroccan Association for Consumer Protection and Defence of Consumer Rights, called on public authorities to intervene swiftly to prevent the disruption from spilling over into higher prices or shortages for consumers. Industry representatives warned that without rapid intervention, the transport crisis could quickly evolve into a full-scale supply and market crisis affecting both producers and consumers.
