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Agadir – Morocco has been selected as one of the priority countries for the US’ “Food for Progress” program 2026, seeking to boost agricultural productivity and agricultural trade in emerging economies.
According to the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), the initiative aims to support agricultural development while also opening new commercial opportunities for US agricultural goods in international markets.
For fiscal year (FY) 2026, the Food for Progress program is expected to award up to $226 million in new cooperative agreements.
These funds will support five-year projects, with individual project budgets typically ranging between $28 million and $35 million, according to USDA FAS program documentation.
Alongside Morocco, the other priority countries selected for this year include Bangladesh, Bolivia, Ecuador, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
USDA Foreign Agricultural Service said that the Food for Progress program has two core objectives: to improve agricultural productivity in developing and emerging economies, and to expand trade in agricultural products in those same markets.
The program is also designed to enhance the competitiveness of agricultural sectors in partner countries while encouraging private sector participation and innovation.
The initiative operates through a trade-linked development model. As described by the USDA FAS, the program purchases bulk agricultural commodities from US farmers, ranchers, and producers, ships and sells them in emerging economies, and uses the revenue generated to fund development projects in agriculture, infrastructure, and economic capacity building.
Morocco’s selection among the program’s beneficiary countries is attributed to its national efforts to develop the agricultural sector and beyond.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recent report projected that Morocco’s economy will grow by around 4.4% in 2026, supported primarily by stronger agricultural output. In addition, Morocco is among the leading global suppliers of phosphate fertilizers, particularly to the US.
The OCP group has played a key role in establishing Morocco as a global powerhouse in fertilizer production.
OCP holds 70% of global phosphate reserves, making it the Agriculture world’s largest producer of phosphate and phosphate-based products.
Last month, the firm shipped 90,000 tons of phosphate fertilizers to Latin America amid major disruptions in global trade routes caused by the war in the Middle East between the US, Israel, and Iran.
This strong market position is further reflected in its financial performance, with OCP reporting a 17% increase in revenues in 2025, reaching MAD 114 billion ($11.4 billion), driven by sustained international demand and improved market conditions.
