Large U.S. trade mission to visit Morocco to bolster partnership in agribusiness

Representatives from nearly 50 U.S. agribusinesses & trade groups and 14 state departments of agriculture will visit Casablanca Dec. 2-5 to explore joint business opportunities and expand U.S. farm & food exports to Morocco and other West African markets.

The trip of this American trade mission is organized by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). “This mission offers a crucial opportunity for U.S. agribusinesses to enter into Morocco’s dynamic market and leverage its strategic position for wider African access,” said Foreign Agricultural Service Administrator Daniel Whitley, who will lead the mission.

USDA says Morocco is the second-largest export market for U.S. agriculture in Africa. U.S. sales of farm and food products to the country topped $619 million last year, representing 16 percent of the continent’s market share.

American agricultural exports to Morocco have doubled since the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement entered into force in 2006. Morocco offers a stable market and growing economy and serves as a key distribution hub for the African continent.

The country is already a major importer of bulk and intermediate commodities from the United States and its expanding food processing sector and rising consumer demand are creating new potential for sales of consumer-oriented products. U.S. exporters have opportunities in numerous sectors, including beef, dairy, feed grains, live animals and genetics, rice, seafood, seed potatoes, soybeans and tree nuts.

Throughout the mission, U.S. company representatives will engage in business-to-business meetings with potential buyers from Morocco and other West African countries.