Maroc Export Showcased Opportunities in Moroccan Marketplace at 2014 Seafood Expo North America and Goes to Brussels in May

Online, April 15, 2014 (Newswire.com) - At the Seafood Expo North America 2014, Maroc Export in collaboration with the Moroccan National Federation (FENIP) and the Moroccan Fisheries Office (ONP), presented 13 fisheries from Morocco in an effort to promote the important benefits of the products from this region and to boost the exchanges in the frame of the free trade agreement and the Halieutis Plan's, which set the goal to increase Moroccan seafood exports from $1.7 billion today to $3.1 billion by 2020 throughout the world.

A culture rich in tradition, the fish exported from the Moroccan region comes with a unique flavor and taste. Maroc Export showcased this quality through an onsite chef tasting at the show featuring Chef Vincent Bru from the Moroccan catering company Rahal. Dishes featured aimed to spotlight a new style of Moroccan cuisine which included a traditional Moroccan salad composed of red peppers, tomatoes, spinach and olive oil served with shrimp and swordfish with lentils and Moroccan spices.

The goal of Maroc Export and the intention for organizing this Pavilion was, first, to communicate the opportunities and benefits of Moroccan seafood exports for the U.S. market. These benefits include distinct and exceptional taste, diversity, abundance and availability of fish (Halieutis Plan works on preserving this quality and the abundance to ensure sustainability), competitive pricing and fishing practices steeped in deep tradition including canned and semi-canned fish, conditioning of fresh fish, freezing and brining, production of fish meal and fish oil, seaweed processing.

Secondly, Maroc Export looked to draw attention to the strategic location of Morocco and ability to become an important commercial hub towards Europe and Africa for U.S. companies due to its 3 important ports: in the north (Tanger), the center (Agadir), and the south (Laâyoune and Dakhla) of the country.

Since the 2006 free trade agreement was made between the US and Morocco, Maroc Export has worked to promote local fishers through both organized missions and trade shows. Morocco currently exports 68% if its seafood production to Europe and only 2% to the U.S. The launch of the Halieutis Plan for the fishery sector combined with the different transversal governmental plans (Logistics, Pact for Industrial Emergence and Maroc Export Plus) show the national will to improve the dynamism and internationalization of this sector.

In order to maintain these growing efforts, Maroc Export will again, for the 15th time, be present for the 2014 Global Expo in Brussels, Belgium, May 6-8. Exhibiting 50 companies on a large Pavilion, they will focus on reinforcing relations with traditional clients and open new markets in order to diversify opportunities in a key sector that generated 600,000 jobs in Morocco in 2013.
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About Maroc Export:
Maroc Export, the Center for Promotion of Moroccan Exports, is a public institution created by Dahir N°1-76-385 dated 25 Hijja 1396 (December 17, 1976). Maroc Export operates with legal competence and financial autonomy under the supervision of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and New Technologies. It was established with the aim of promoting Moroccan exports, in particular exports of processed food products, services and any products which do not fall within the competence of other administrations or bodies by virtue of a legislative or statutory measure.