Morocco: New Export Opportunities for US Seed Potatoes
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On May 10, 2024, the Moroccan market opened for U.S. seed potatoes. The United States and Morocco agreed to the final requirements for import during the Plant Health Bilateral Meetings between the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and Morocco’s sanitary authority (ONSSA) from May 6-10, 2024. This capped a regulatory process that began in 2015. Morocco’s food processing industry has expressed interest in importing U.S. varieties of potatoes for planting that they can use to make potato chips and French fries. The U.S. industry estimated the potential Moroccan market for seed potatoes to be about $8 million USD. U.S. exporters can begin shipping as soon as there are Moroccan buyers. In 2023, Morocco imported over $42 million USD in seed potatoes primarily from the European Union (Netherlands, Denmark, and France) and the United Kingdom.
