About 85 participations from the Middle East, North Africa, Nepal, Russia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh attended the conference. The blend and diversity of participant’s backgrounds favored developing business relationships and regional connections with other oil processors in the greater region.
USSEC technical consultants and industry representatives presented the latest innovations in process and technologies aiming to optimize oil processing to produce high quality soybean oil with high yield. The importance of U.S. Soy oil and U.S. soybean products in general was emphasized and the differential advantages of crude U.S. Soy oil were presented such as insured quality and infrastructure, lower refining losses which ultimately contribute to higher quality products.
Babb Brent, USSEC Regional Director – Europe / Middle East North Africa (MENA) highlighted the importance and continuous growth of U.S. soybean product exports to the MENA region, particularly in North African markets. Maintaining and increasing U.S. soybean product market share will continue to be a USSEC priority in the coming years.
By the end of the conference, the delegation appreciated the knowledge gained about the U.S. Soy Advantage, differentiation characteristics, and overall quality of U.S. soybean products.
Maghreb remains the largest marketplace for soybean oil consumption in the MENA region, where it is the predominant vegetable oil. In 2017/18, the Moroccan market imported over 500 thousand metric tons (TMT) of soy oil.