The National Association of United States Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) paid a visit Thursday to Casablanca, during which members of the American mission met with private actors in the Moroccan agricultural and agri-food sectors.
Organized by the Agricultural section of the United States Embassy in Rabat, in partnership with the American Chamber of Commerce in Morocco (AmCham), this meeting was an opportunity for Moroccan operators to learn about the latest trends in American market and explore new business opportunities between the two countries.
The NASDA delegation, chaired by its CEO and former United States Undersecretary of Agriculture, Ted McKinney, which is making its first visit to Morocco, is made up of representatives of the agricultural departments of the States of Illinois, Kansas, South Carolina and Massachusetts. “The purpose of our visit is to expand our reach in understanding what the United States is doing in the areas of agriculture and agri-food,” Mr. McKinney underlined in a statement to MAP, noting that NASDA is closely interested in Moroccan activities and wishes to understand national methods and processes.
And added: “We want to understand what the Moroccan food system looks like, what are the interests of producers and what would they like to do in terms of trade with the United States? “. “It is precisely an opportunity for us to be in Morocco to get to know institutions and private actors,” he said. Mr. McKinney also called for preparing the ground for strengthened cooperation between the two countries and maintaining the pace of exchanges initiated during this trip through an exchange of visits by delegations from the two countries, saying he was enthusiastic about the the immensity of the potential for cooperation that exists between Morocco and the United States in agricultural matters.
For his part, the agricultural attaché of the United States Embassy in Rabat, Benjamin Rau, explained that this visit aims to promote bilateral trade and present to the American delegation, made up of leading personalities, the trade and investment opportunities that exist in Morocco. In this capacity, Mr. Rau highlighted the stability of the business climate in Morocco, as well as the ambitious projects aimed at making the Kingdom a leading exporter of agricultural and agri-food products throughout the region, particularly to the Europe, the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa.
“The idea is therefore to bring American operators as close as possible to the opportunities that exist in Morocco,” he added.
The director of AmCham, Rabia El Alama, for her part, welcomed the success of this networking meeting between representatives of NASDA and members of the Chamber of Commerce operating in agriculture and agri-food sector in Morocco, noting that the objective behind this initiative is to promote bilateral trade. “Today, there are real business opportunities between Morocco and the United States, especially since the two countries ratified in 2024 a free trade agreement that entered into force in 2006,” noted Mr. El Alama, highlighting the importance of cooperation in agritech and research & development to overcome the common climate challenges facing Morocco and certain American states. NASDA (National Association of Department of Agriculture) is the association of all agricultural departments in the United States. It includes 50 departments and its mission is to promote the products of these States, research, food health and bilateral trade.
This article is originally published on fr.hibapress.com
