A team of key Moroccan buyers attended the 7th annual U.S. Soy Global Trade Exchange and 16th annual Specialty Grains Conference and Trade Show held in Chicago August 20 to 22. The forum drew soybean and grain industry leaders, buyers, and suppliers who attended this year’s diversified sessions.
The first day featured a field tour for Middle East and North African (MENA) customers allowing attendees to see on farm soybean crop development; a container filling plant; and beans handling, storage, and shipping. The farm visit allowed participants to better understand sustainable farming practices behind successful U.S. soybean production.
The 2019 USSEC Trade Team Invitational (TTI) offered an excellent opportunity for open discussions between suppliers and buyers from the region. The discussions held later at the trade show with representatives of exhibitor companies offering soybeans, grains, and their support businesses such as trading, imports, containerized shipping, food and feed ingredients suppliers, associations, laboratories, and more helped business opportunity and networking.
The first sessions of the conference focused on the importance of international agricultural trade, particularly for soybeans and grain producers and buyers.
The North African program included a visit to the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) and an update on economy and global supply/demand for different commodities and market technical analysis relying on weather effects for the remainder of the growing season.
Morocco continues to be the leading market for U.S. soybean meal exports in the MENA region. For the first time, the visiting team was consisted of importers representing more than 95 percent of Morocco’s soybean meal imports. USSEC, through diversified and targeted programs, continues to build preference for U.S. Soy by meeting customers’ needs.