Browse Data and Analysis

Morocco continues to import agricultural products derived from genetically engineered (GE) technologies for use in animal feed products. No GE products have been developed or commercialized for local production in Morocco. GE products are not allowed for human consumption.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) regulations allow the importation of biotech plant products, but they are required to be labeled if they contain more than one percent genetically engineered (GE) plant ingredients. As a result, many retail packaged food importers do not import biotech foods due to concerns that biotech labeling could jeopardize their image.

Singapore does not have any domestic commercial production of plant biotechnology. The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) website lists 108 genetically engineered (GE) crops approved for use as food for direct consumption, ingredients, and further processing into ingredients for other food in the country.

Total Saudi wheat imports for 2024/25 are forecast to reach 4.25 MMT, an increase of 2 percent over marketing year (MY) 2023/24.

The retail food sector is highly competitive in Singapore with no single country holding over 16 percent of the consumer-oriented products market share. Singapore’s economy is beginning to slow due to cost-of-living, inflation, and supply chain challenges.

The Government of Morocco has released its final wheat and barley production numbers for the 2024 crop, including 1.77 MMT of common wheat, 0.70 MMT of durum wheat, and 0.65 MMT of barley, about 43 percent down from the previous year’s crop.

Morocco notified WTO G/SPS/N/MAR/106 on August 7, 2024. The notification concerns animal feed additives registration. Comments are due October 6, 2024.

In 2023, Morocco was the second-largest export market for U.S. agriculture on the African continent, importing over $610 million in U.S. agricultural products, accounting for over 16 percent of all U.S. exports to Africa. The United States has seen total exports quadruple and agricultural exports double since entering into a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Morocco in 2006.

On July 11, 2024, the government of Morocco adopted Order No. 2-23-557 dated May 14, 2024, establishing standards for the quality, health safety, and labeling of animal feed production. An unofficial translation is included in this report.

The government of Morocco has issued a new code of procedures for the importation of animal meal, which previously had no established framework. This regulation now permits the use of animal meal in dog and cat food, opening opportunities for broader applications of rendered products in other animal feeds.

The major export certificates required by Saudi Arabia’s regulatory and import control agencies are included in this Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards (FAIRS) - Certificates Report. These certificates are required for the importation of food and agricultural products into the Kingdom. Information in this report supplements the FAIRS Annual Country Report.

Saudi Arabia has published numerous regulations and standards over the years. While many of these regulations (both mandatory and voluntary) were notified to the World Trade Organization (WTO), most were immediately implemented making it difficult for U.S. exporters to adjust or comment.