News Articles - North Africa
Eye on the Future in North Africa and the Middle East
- Article Information
- Category: Word from the Ground
- Published on Thursday, 09 May 2013 21:07
- Matching Keywords: Egypt, Morocco
By Cary Sifferath, U.S. Grains Council Regional Director for the Middle East and Africa
The U.S. Grains Council travelled to Egypt, Morocco and Saudi Arabia late April and early May to continue rolling out the Council's 2013/13 Corn Export Cargo Quality Report to major feed grain importers, feed millers, poultry and dairy companies. In just its second year, importers and end-users in all three markets were impressed and appreciative of the data the Council supplied on the U.S. corn crop through the quality report, noting that they did not receive the same type of information from other origins of supply. However, due to current U.S. corn stock levels and prices, partly attributable to the drought, U.S. corn is at a major premium to South American and Black Sea origin corn (at $30-40 metric tons or more). This is making U.S. corn sales and shipments to the Middle East and Northern Africa regions difficult.
USGC Assists in Expanding Tunisian Beef Production
- Article Information
- Category: Word from the Ground
- Published on Thursday, 18 April 2013 20:40
- Matching Keywords: Tunisia
By Cary Sifferath, U.S. Grains Council Regional Director for the Middle East and Africa
PROMAG-MABROUKA, a company based in Khelidia, Tunisia, recently turned to the U.S. Grains Council for guidance on expanding its feed-lot development and beef production. Having seen the Council's feed lot locations in Morocco in 2012, the company's managers knew the Council had the expertise to help them with their own plans.
USGC International Directors Reflect on Political Change Around the World
- Article Information
- Category: News Room
- Published on Thursday, 21 February 2013 21:30
- Matching Keywords: north africa, tunisia
2012 was a year of elections. In the United States, 2012 was a presidential election year, with both the White House and control of Congress at stake. But the United States was far from alone, as political contests – not all of them peaceful or democratic -- swept the world.
The View from Cairo: A Major Market in Upheaval
- Article Information
- Category: News Room
- Published on Thursday, 17 January 2013 21:39
- Matching Keywords: egypt
At the U.S. Grains Council's 10th International Marketing Conference and 53rd Annual Membership Meeting in Charleston, S.C., Feb. 11-13, 2013, attendees will enjoy the opportunity to hear how the Council's mission of Developing Markets, Enabling Trade and Improving Lives is achieved. Dr. Hussein Soliman, USGC director in Egypt, will provide a unique glimpse at the work he has done and some challenges he has faced during his more than 20 year tenure promoting U.S. barley, corn, sorghum and co-products. Those challenges have never been more acute than they are today, with immense political upheaval and rising competition from the Black Sea region now threatening a hard-won U.S. market in Egypt.
Update on Algerian Taxes, Duties on US Corn and Co-products
- Article Information
- Category: Word from the Ground
- Published on Thursday, 10 January 2013 20:37
- Matching Keywords: Algeria
By Cary Sifferath, U.S. Grains Council Regional Director for the Middle East and AfricaIn September 2012, the U.S. Grains Council reported that after a three and a half year effort, Algeria removed the value added tax (VAT) and custom tax on all feed imports, including corn, distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and corn gluten feed (CGF) until December 2012. The VAT and custom tax for DDGS and CGF had previously been set at 17 percent and 30 percent, resulting in no U.S. DDGS or CGF exports to Algeria. Corn VAT and custom tax had previously been set at 7 percent and 5 percent.
