Solid Potential for U.S. Beef in Newly Opened Moroccan Market
USDA and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative recently announced that Morocco is open to imports of U.S. beef. Monty Brown, U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) representative in Africa, just completed his initial visit to Morocco.
With assistance from the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) staff in Morocco, Brown met with several prospective buyers and distributors who expressed strong interest in U.S. beef.
Brown notes that the duty-free quotas included in the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement offer plenty of capacity for establishing a foothold for U.S. beef in Morocco. These quotas provide U.S. beef exporters with a significant advantage over most foreign suppliers, as Morocco's standard duty rate for imported beef is 275%.
In 2019, the duty-free quota volume for USDA Choice or Prime beef cuts entering Morocco is 6,660 metric tons (mt). The quota volume for other U.S. beef cuts and beef variety meat - such as tongues and livers - is 2,390 mt. Under the free trade agreement, all duties on U.S. beef will be phased to zero by 2023.
