The inaugural shipment of Moroccan citrus fruits reached Japan last Wednesday, having met all sanitary and regulatory stipulations set by Japanese health authorities. This development underscores the collaboration between Morocco's National Office for Food Safety (ONSSA) and Japanese phytosanitary bodies, which conducted audits in Morocco, examining production sites, packing stations, and the health certification system approved by ONSSA.
A Moroccan trade delegation is scheduled to visit Tokyo from April 14 to 19, post-Ramadan. This mission will include over 100 representatives from Morocco's and Japan's public and private sectors, encompassing exporters, government officials, and Japanese importers.
In tandem with this trade mission, a communication campaign will promote Moroccan citrus fruits, aiming to facilitate the entry of fresh Moroccan products into Japanese and broader Asian markets.
Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that in 2022, Japan's imports from Morocco amounted to approximately $400 million, primarily seafood and phosphates, while Japanese exports to Morocco were around $206 million, including automobiles and machinery.
The Moroccan Embassy in Japan regularly hosts business forums in collaboration with organizations such as JICA, JETRO, UNIDO, and JCCME. In 2023, JETRO co-organized the Japan-Morocco Business Forum in Casablanca, attracting about 200 participants from both nations' sectors.
Japan has extended loans worth approximately $2.2 billion, grants of $250 million, and technical assistance valued at $270 million to Morocco as of November 2022, focusing on infrastructure, agriculture, aquaculture, education, and public health to mitigate socio-economic disparities.
Source: Morocco24