Morocco is a country of 37 million people, but its population is rapidly growing and will hit 46 million by 2025, which represents huge market potential for U.S. farmers. Leadership from the South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council and South Dakota Soybean Association recently traveled to the African nation on a trade mission to explore market opportunities.
Despite popular belief, the Moroccan government subsidizes food for its people so there is very little hunger.
“Like other places there’s a disparity between high income and low income, but even the low income seems to be eating well,” says Ardon Wek, a Freeman, S.D., farmer.
Those consumers are adding more protein into their diet.
“They get a taste of good quality meat, and they want more of it,” adds Centerville, S.D., farmer Tim Ostrem.
However, as a Muslim country there is no pork production, so poultry is the leading source of protein.
“Poultry production is the most dynamic element of animal production in Morocco. Over 55% of the meat is coming from poultry,” says Khalid Benabdeljelil, U.S. Soybean Export Council, Morocco.
He says most Moroccans consume poultry fresh, but there is a shift happening in the protein sector.
“We have a young population, there are changing habits, there’s more urbanization, there is more searching for easy solutions for preparing food,” Benabdeljelil says.
Plus, tourism is big business in Morocco, which will increase protein demand. Benabdeljelil says the goal is to hit 26 million tourists by 2030.
Because water is scarce in this arid climate, farmers raise fruits and vegetables, olives and small grains, such as wheat, but no row crops. As a result, feed ingredients are mostly imported.
“The longer growing grains like soybeans are just not something they can embrace given their climate and their soil,” says Heather Beaner, who farms near Mellette, S.D.
There soybean meal, their soybeans and their DDGS are 100% imported. They rely heavily on imports. There’s no domestic production at all of any row crops here,” adds Wolsey, S.D., farmer David Struck.
Morocco is already a large importer of U.S. ag products, in part due to a long trading relationship and the Free Trade Agreement between the two countries. Hunter Roberts, secretary of the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, says there is tremendous potential to increase sales into this market in the near future.
“As their population grows, as they become more successful, more profitable and want to eat more protein in their diet, I think it’s a great opportunity for our U.S. producers to export in particular soybean meal,” he says.
