On-farm milk production before
processing represents 7.5% of the agricultural GDP in Morocco, worth about $850
million. Milk and other dairy products are produced on approximately 790,000
farms, providing year-round employment for 770,000 people. Just 5%
of these are considered specialized dairy operations: the vast majority are
smallholders that produce cattle for both milk and meat. For these farms, the
sale of calves is very important economically. The sector has seen large
changes since the 1950’s, and major manufacturers, as well as the Moroccan
government, have invested in growing the dairy sector through product
innovation, advertising, and marketing.
Dairy Consumption
Demand for milk is limited in large
part due to low per capita income. Per capita dairy consumption is relatively
low – 36 liters per year – and most consumption is in the form of plain milk,
since yogurt and cheese are more expensive and seen as luxury products.
Consumption varies from 90kg per capita in wealthy urban households to around 18kg
in poor households. Future developments in milk consumption will be closely
linked with economic development and wealth distribution in the country.
Types of Supply Chains
There are three kinds of dairy
supply chains in Morocco. The largest is the Centrale Laitière
Maroc, which controls about 50% of the market and is closely linked with French
dairy giant Groupe Danone. Centrale Laitière produces a range of
high-quality milks and milk products. It is the only manufacturer to
distribute nationwide, and it benefits from its partnership with Danone for
product development and innovation.
Pasteurized milk from the Centrale Laitière |
The second type of supply chain
operates through cooperative systems, with over 1000 collection centers
throughout the country. Copag (Coopérative Agricole d’Agrumes), a competetive co-op based in Southern
Morocco, controls approximately 20% of total volume of milk produced in the
country and produces supermarket quality milk. It collects from 170 individual
farms and 14,000 smallholders through collection centers.
The third chain is the informal processing
and marketing of milk and milk products directly to consumers through peddlers
and small workshops known as mahlabates. This system operates mostly in dairy
basins around urban centers, and hygiene can be an issue. Milk is supposed to
be pasteurized by law, but this is not always the case.
Traditional Moroccan cheese sold through informal chains |
Effect of Government
Policy on Milk Yields
Prior to the 1950’s, cattle herds
were mostly local beef-oriented breeds, with low milk yields. During the period
of colonization from 1912 to 1956, specialized dairy farms emerged, with
greater reliance on European dairy breeds such as Pie Noire and Tarentaise. However,
milk production did not increase substantially until the 1970’s, when the
government initiated a plan to boost production. The dairy development plan
included feed subsidies, expansion in forage land, irrigation projects, extension
education, and importation of improved breeds like Holsteins, resulting in a
doubling of milk production. These policies shaped the current dairy industry.
For example, specialized dairy production concentrated in the newly irrigated
regions, and now nearly 80% of cattle are improved breeds.
Structural adjustment policies in
the 1980’s lead to the gradual phasing out of government involvement from the
dairy industry and a greater role for private companies, cattle breeder
associations, milk collection cooperatives, and autonomous veterinary and AI
practices. Milk yields continued to increase: between 1970 and 2005, production increased from 400kg to 1200kg per cow.
Today, milk
production and collection and veterinary and insemination services are almost
entirely private, while the government administers research, extension
education, and food safety regulation. Unfortunately, educational extension
services have suffered as the industry transitioned from state-run to privately
controlled. The government also taxes milk imports to protect the domestic
industry, and imports account for less than 20% of the market. Agriculture is
tax-exempt in Morocco, which allows Copag, as a cooperative, to pay higher
farm-gate prices to its farmers for their milk. Farmers benefit from a stable
milk price which, given the low consumption, has potential for growth in the
coming years.
Challenges
The Moroccan dairy industry faces a
range of issues. One of the most important challenges is improving yield and
quality of milk production. The government is decreasing the size of its role
in the sector, meaning that the industrial sector, which already collects 60%
of all raw milk, will have a key role in establishing and ensuring the
fulfillment of quality standards. Not all collection cooperatives are well
managed, leading to issues with efficiency and quality.
Milk yields can vary a lot with
environmental conditions such as drought, making small farmers vulnerable to
climate. While a significant amount of production occurs in irrigated areas,
drought in rain-fed areas can reduce forage availability and require the use of
more feed concentrates. This increases the price of production, and represents
a high ‘virtual water’ cost. Adequate nutrition in general is also an issue,
and leads to reduced yields and reproductive difficulties for imported breeds.
As mentioned above, the health and
safety of milk products is not totally consistent. The Centrale Laitière
produces high-quality, milk conforming to international standards, but it is
impossible to fully regulate the informal supply chains, which often sell
unpasteurized milk, cheese, and traditional fermented milk products. This poses
a risk for bacterial infections, as well as potential heavy metal
contamination. Most outbreaks of food-borne illness of other contamination
issues come from the informal supply chain.
A yogurt drink traditionally served with couscous |
Continued development of the
dairy industry has the potential to benefit the country in many ways: higher per cow
milk yields improves production efficiency and reduces environmental impact, an
expanding sector creates important agricultural jobs and can boost household
income, more industry involvement could raise milk quality and safety, and a
greater domestic supply could provide more high-quality animal protein in marginal
diets of poor Moroccans. In order to do this, both the government and private
sector actors will need to invest in milk collection organization and
infrastructure, extension education, and creation of domestic demand to support
growth.
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