Sheep Farming Feasibility Study in Morocco (in Dirhams)

A sheep farming feasibility study in Morocco has five parts: capital (ewes, rams, shed and equipment), yearly costs led by supplementary feed and the shepherd, revenue (lambs × survival × sale price, mostly at Eid al-Adha), the break-even point and a sensitivity analysis. A Moroccan flock can be profitable, but the margin is very sensitive to dry years and the price of barley.

Most Moroccan breeders mix rangeland grazing, crop stubble after harvest and bought feed in the dry months. A study for the Chaouia plains therefore looks different from one for the Middle Atlas or the Oriental, and a ready-made file copied from another country tells you little. It is better to build your own with the method below and fill it with prices from your local weekly souk. For the general method in more detail, see our sheep project feasibility study.

Cost items in a Moroccan sheep project

Capital (paid once):

• The flock: ewes and rams, plus transport, a vet check and quarantine on arrival. Value varies a lot between Sardi, Timahdite, Beni Guil and D'man, and between a young ewe and an old one.
• The shed: shelter from winter cold and rain and from summer sun, with separate pens for pregnant ewes, mothers with lambs, rams and an isolation pen.
• Equipment: feeders, drinkers, a water tank, a scale and identification tools.
• Land: if rented, count the rent as a yearly cost.

Yearly costs:

• Feed: barley, alfalfa (lucerne), straw, bran and concentrates, the biggest item in dry years.
• Shepherd: wage and food if you do not herd yourself.
• Vet care: vaccinations on the schedule set by your vet and the official veterinary services, treatments and checks.
• Water, fuel and maintenance, especially if water is trucked in.
• Transport and market fees.
• Depreciation: a yearly share of the cost of the shed and equipment.

The revenue formula

In a breeding flock, income comes mainly from lambs:

1. Lambs born = number of ewes × lambs per ewe per year.
2. Lambs to sale = lambs born × survival rate.
3. Lambs sold = lambs to sale − ewe lambs kept for replacement.
4. Lamb revenue = lambs sold × price per head (or weight × price per kg).
5. Add the sale of cull ewes.

Ewe gestation is about 147 days, and the lamb then needs several months to become a presentable Eid sheep. Real income therefore arrives about a year after the ram goes in, so plan cash to cover feed and the shepherd for that whole period.

Illustrative example: 50 Sardi ewes and 2 rams

Illustrative example — replace every figure with prices from your area. These prices and rates are teaching assumptions, not Moroccan market prices.

Net profit in this example is about 14,660 MAD a year, close to 7.9% of capital, before land and the breeder's own time.

Break-even and sensitivity

Break-even: lambs must bring in 128,540 − 14,400 = 114,140 MAD. Over 46 head, the break-even price is about 2,480 MAD per lamb, or about 41 head sold at 2,800 MAD.

Then change one factor at a time:

The lesson: one dry year or a few extra lamb deaths can wipe out the profit. Combine just two improvements, feed 10% cheaper and 1.4 lambs per ewe, and profit rises to about 44,500 MAD, with capital paid back in about 4.2 years instead of roughly 12.6.

Is sheep farming profitable in Morocco?

It can be, especially for a breeder with cheap grazing or stubble, who plans mating so lambs are ready before Eid and knows the cost per head before going to the souk. What moves prices and margins:

• Rain and drought: they decide how much grazing there is and what barley and straw cost, and so the cost of every head.
• Eid al-Adha: demand for sheep rises sharply before the feast, but it can change from year to year with the state of the national flock and official guidance. Do not build your study on an exceptional year.
• Breed and finish: a well-finished Sardi with good horns sells better at Eid.
• Lambing rate and losses: feed ewes well before mating and care for lambs in their first weeks.
• Feed: buy at the right time and store it dry. See how to reduce feed costs.

For permits or any agricultural support, ask the agricultural and veterinary services in your province before buying, rather than relying on market talk.

From paper to real numbers

A study is an estimate; what matters is comparing it with reality every month. On the Throf platform you record expenses and sales to see net profit and cost per head, track feed stock in kilos, and log births, twins and losses, so you know whether you really reach 1.2 lambs per ewe. See the Throf Morocco page (in French), and if you are just starting, read our guide to a sheep farming project in Morocco. For breeds and regions, see sheep farming in Morocco.