After the Summer Fancy Food last June in New York, Morocco is once again in the spotlight this week at the International Food Show (SIAL) in Montreal. And next September, Made in Morocco will be featured in Miami, the great metropolis of the American state of Florida.
The ambition behind these participations is to give more visibility to Moroccan products and to strengthen the Kingdom’s position as a producer and exporter of agri-food and fishery products in the American and Canadian markets, indicated Ghita El Gorfi, general director of Morocco Foodex. , the public body responsible for the control and coordination of agricultural and agri-food exports. For her, these two markets offer enormous potential for the Moroccan exportable offer.
In an interview with MAP, the manager indicated that Morocco’s participation as a featured country at SIAL will have an impact both in Canada and on the North American market in general.
“At the level of the North American market, particularly in Canada, Morocco is very well known for citrus fruits”, underlined Ghita El Ghorfi, specifying that the Kingdom exports some 80,000 tonnes per year, “which is very honorable in terms of growth of year after year.”
However, she indicated that the objective “is to raise awareness of other agricultural products (fresh, processed, canned products, olive oil and table oil) and the whole range of seafood products which are little present on the Canadian market”.
In Canada, many Kingdom products are distributed through community channels, mainly intended for the Moroccan community. For the CEO of Foodex, it is about expanding these circuits to reach all consumers in the North American country.
“That’s the issue. And such a strong return to SIAL as a country in the spotlight, after an absence of a few years due to COVID in particular, gives us visibility in Canada,” she added.
Over an area of 223 m2 at the Palais des congrès in the heart of the Quebec metropolis, the Moroccan pavilion highlights a host of agri-food and fishery products presented by 18 exporters.
“It is a support action because we give them visibility and that is what is important”, noted the CEO of Foodex who insists on the need to position Morocco as a country where we do not buy not a product because it is cheaper but because it “represents particular flavors and a particular terroir”.
In addition to participation in professional fairs, the promotion of Morocco Origin is also done, according to Ms. El Ghorfi, through visits to the Kingdom by North American agri-food industry operators. After the American operators, a visit from Canadian professionals is in the pipeline.
Recently, the key players in this sector in the United States held their annual meeting in Marrakech, an operation initiated in partnership with Morocco Foodex, which also allowed them to get to know the quality and variety of agricultural products up close. maritime fishing in the Kingdom.
“It is also important that they come to Morocco to see the existing products and the standards in which they are transformed,” she said.
If the Moroccan offer is well established on traditional markets in Europe, on North American markets “we are known for a category of products, but there is still potential to develop even for products like citrus fruits,” he said. added the CEO of Foodex.
“Building a brand image takes years. We cannot stop at one action but we must capitalize from year to year, make ourselves known and deploy further efforts to have tangible results,” she concluded.
For its 21st edition, the Canadian Food Show brings together nearly 1,000 professionals from around forty countries. Morocco Foodex is organizing a series of culinary demonstrations there, in addition to a program of B2B meetings between Moroccan exhibitors and Canadian buyers.
