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Increasing export opportunities for US ag in the UAE
The head of the USDA’s Foreign Ag Service says he’s optimistic more US agricultural goods could be headed to the United Arab Emirates.
Administrator Daniel Whitley says almonds are currently the top US ag product exported to the region. “We’ve seen greater interest in American meat products, both beef, and poultry,” he says. “We heard a lot of interest about getting more grains into the region, wheat as well as soybeans, to many folks’ surprise.”
During a call with reporters from Dubai on Thursday, Whitley says he’s confident US ag exports will continue to grow. “American agriculture can be very successful, not just in the UAE, but the region as a whole,” he says.
Annual exports are averaging more than $1 billion in the last five years and the United States is the UAE’s fourth-largest supplier of food and farm products.
This is the first in-person trade mission for the USDA since 2020.
AUDIO: Daniel Whitley, USDA Foreign Ag Services Administrator