Recently, the U.S. Grains Council’s (USGC’s) regional office in Tunis, Tunisia used a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Section 108 grant to organize a training program for Moroccan aquaculture farmers and potential industry investors to learn how to optimize their operations through high-yield tilapia farms.
USGC Regional Deputy Director for Africa Mohamed Salah Bouthour and USGC Morocco Consultant Mustapha El Yousouffi traveled to Casablanca, Morocco several days ahead of the event to examine local shrimp farms and speak with producers interested in transitioning into aquaculture.
“Consumer interest in animal protein is rapidly rising in Africa, and aquaculture is an affordable and sustainable way for African producers to feed the population,” Bouthour said. “Incorporating U.S. distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) into fish diets dramatically increases yields at a highly competitive price point, bringing value to end-users in Morocco and to U.S. producers and exporters.”
The team then traveled to Fès for the conference, where more than 35 industry stakeholders gathered to hear from Council staff and other experts on aquacultural expansion in Morocco and beyond.
The event’s opening remarks included an address from a Moroccan agricultural specialist from USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), who shared insights into the U.S. agricultural industry’s strategy for growth in Morocco and the West African region.
Other speakers discussed techniques required to farm tilapia in a desert, including closed recirculation equipment and genetic selection of high-quality fish to ensure a healthy and nutritious product.
Participants also visited a tilapia farm cooperative, one of several supported by the Moroccan National Agency for Water and Forests to support local farming communities.
The two-day conference concluded with a panel discussion featuring the event’s speakers and an opportunity for participants to ask questions and share their experiences in the Moroccan industry.
“The Council is already planning more programs targeting the aquacultural sector in Africa, as we all see the massive potential in this market, both in improving the lives of local producers and consumers and in developing a new, diversified market for U.S. agricultural exports,” Bouthour said.
Learn more about the Council’s work in Africa here.
About The U.S. Grains Council
The U.S. Grains Council develops export markets for U.S. barley, corn, sorghum and related products including distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and ethanol. With full-time presence in 28 locations, the Council operates programs in more than 50 countries and the European Union. The Council believes exports are vital to global economic development and to U.S. agriculture’s profitability. Detailed information about the Council and its programs is online at www.grains.org.