Representatives of the U.S. soy industry participated in the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) international marketing and strategic planning conference held in Casablanca and Marrakech, Morocco from March 16 to 22.
Pam Helmsing, USSEC Director of Animal Utilization and Khalid Benabdeljelil, USSEC consultant - Morocco participated in the USAPEEC sessions attended by several United Soybean Board (USB), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and USAPEEC representatives.
Soybean producers and state organization representatives from Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, and South Dakota enriched the presentations, as did others from the table eggs, broilers, ducks and turkeys industries.
Morgan Hass, Agricultural Attaché in Morocco presented the historical background that led to the opening of the Moroccan market to U.S. poultry products.
USSEC’s presentation covered the U.S. soy poultry development programs in MENA and reported several implemented activities in different markets of the region to highlight the U.S. value chain, relations between suppliers and buyers, intrinsic value, and the U.S. Soy Advantage.
Other objectives were to demonstrate the importance of Middle East / North Africa (MENA) markets for U.S. soybean exports and the high growth and prospects in the region. USSEC activities focus on sustainability, U.S. soy differentiation and maintaining / increasing U.S. market shares.
As highlighted by Jim Sumner, President of USAPEEC, both organizations could join efforts with Moroccan Federation of Poultry Associations in improving local poultry production, processing efficiency, and jointly explore new opportunities through a “win win” venture to potentially gain other markets in the sub region for U.S. poultry products.