MOROCCO's GRAPES OF WRATH

UNCLAS CASABLANCA 000067

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

STATE FOR NEA/MAG
COMMERCE FOR NATHANIEL MASON

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAGR ECON PGOV SOCI KISL MO
SUBJECT: MOROCCO's GRAPES OF WRATH


1. (SBU) Summary: The city of Meknes is the center of Morocco's
budding wine business, employing 6,000 people and producing 70
percent of the country's wine. Paradoxically, until early 2009 the
city was governed by the Islamist-oriented Party of Justice and
Development (PJD). The story of Meknes' wine renaissance is one
that illustrates the country's efforts to balance respect for
Islamic tradition in a country embracing modernity while
simultaneously accommodating a growing conservative movement. End
Summary.

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Honoring Tradition
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2. (SBU) Many of Morocco's Islamic scholars consider alcohol
production and consumption to be "Haram" or forbidden to Muslims.
Mohammed Raouandi of Morocco's High Council of Religious Scholars
told Econoff, "While Morocco is a modern country, its people remain
largely conservative." In fact, the country's wine consumption is
on the decline, according to Mehdi Bouchaara, the deputy general
manager at the Celliers of Meknes (CofM),the country's largest wine
producer. He further explained, "Moroccans are growing increasingly
conservative. Ten years ago during 'Sha'aban', the month before
Ramadan in which Muslims prepare their bodies to fast, wine
consumption only decreased about 10 percent. In the last two years,
however, consumption during that month has dropped 50 percent."


3. (SBU) This decline in consumption can be explained in part by
views of groups like Morocco's Islamist-oriented Party of Justice
and Development (PJD),who perceive Morocco's wineries as a menace
to the country. According to the Party's leader in Parliament
Mustapha Ramid, "Alcohol is 'Oum al Khabaath' -- the mother of
evil." Faced with this perceived threat, the PJD sees itself as
fighting to preserve not only Meknes' Islamic identity but also the
country's. For example, parliamentarians representing the PJD have
called upon the CofM each year demanding that it justify its wine
operation, says Bouchaara. The Ministry of Interior has also,
albeit more subtly, approached the CofM to encourage a shift in its
agricultural production from grapes to olives, confided Bouchaara.
To quell the criticism of its nay-sayers, the CofM maintains a low
profile to the extent possible. Its offices have no signs and its
advertisement is confined to urban centers far away from mosques and
education facilities, adds Bouchaara.

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Modernity
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4. (SBU) While conservatism is on the rise, there is a simultaneous
countervailing modernist tendency that more readily embraces the
lucrative wine industry. The Celliers of Meknes produces 70 percent
of Morocco's wine and employs about 6,000 local residents full time
and about 1,000 more for the autumn harvest, who are overwhelmingly
Muslim. For many of the workers, going to CofM means reconciling
their jobs with their religion. "This is not ideal, but the salary
and benefits are unrivaled in this region," says Mohammed, a long
time employee of CofM. Moreover, some 100 heads of households
employed by CofM, who currently live in shantytowns next to the
vineyards, will soon benefit from new housing courtesy of CofM, said
Bouchaara.


5. (SBU) As Meknes' largest taxpayer, CofM wields some clout with
the Government of Morocco (GOM),enabling it to push its commercial
and secular agenda in the midst of rising conservatism. For
instance, Bouchaara said that, after some initial government
hesitation, the CofM was granted provincial authority to build a
luxury hotel in its vineyards that will cater to foreign tourists.
The Celliers has accelerated the growth of Meknes' infrastructure,
says Bouchaara, pointing out the paved roads and water dissemination
projects in the city funded by CofM.


6. (SBU) Even some conservatives acknowledge the economic benefits
of the country's wine production. "There is no doubt that Morocco's
wine industry is helping the country's economy," admits the former
PJD mayor of Meknes Aboubakr Belkoura. Of the 27 million bottles
sold by the Celliers of Meknes, only two million are shipped abroad,
the remaining 25 million being consumed domestically. "Moroccan
society has come to accept socially what it has refused
religiously," says Professor Bekocuhi of Hassan II University.
"Wine production is not hypocrisy; it is a sign of tolerance," he
added.

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Comment
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7. (SBU) In the context of the country's growing conservatism, the
PJD will likely find it useful politically to continue to oppose
publicly the country's wine production. Nevertheless, its
leadership will have a difficult time ignoring the economic benefits
of that production, particularly as the country worries about
prominent sectors, such as automobile parts and textiles, being
threatened by slowing exports. For now, the health of the country's
wine sector and its peaceful coexistence with Islamist-run local
governments remains a testament to the tolerance that prevails
across most of Moroccan society. End Comment.

Millard