USDA, Foreign Agricultural Service:update

USDA, Foreign Agricultural Service

The following GAIN reports were released on March 10, 2022. _______   Ethiopia: Food Inflation Stands High in Ethiopia despite Policy Measures to Stabilize Prices Ethiopia’s inflation rate remains persistently high, reaching 33.6 percent in February 2022. The headline inflation in February 2022 is lower than the 34.5 percent recorded in January 2022. Food inflation stood at 41.9 percent in February, up from 39.9 percent the previous month. Non-food inflation declined to 22.9 percent from 27.3 percent registered in January 2022. The major factors driving food inflation are spikes in price of cooking oils and fats, non-alcoholic beverages, bread and cereals, fish and sea foods, dairy, and meat products. Weak domestic market supply due to agricultural production constraints and steady devaluation of the local currency are among the major factors contributing to the staggeringly high inflation levels. Although the Ethiopian government took various policy actions including monetary, fiscal, and structural measures to control price escalations, the inflation levels remain in the double digits.   India: India - FSSAI Publishes Approved List of Specialty Products for Inborn - Congenital - Errors of Metabolism Conditions  On February 22, 2022, India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare/Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) published Stds/SP-05/Orders/FSSAI (E1317). The order includes a list of conditions associated with inborn (congenital) errors of metabolism (IEM) along with the specialty food products that can be manufactured, sold, marketed, or imported to address these imbalances. The FSSAI implementation date for the approved list is April 1, 2022. Until such time, the FSSAI will continue to allow the import of specialty food products listed in its earlier directive of June 30, 2021.   India: Russia's Invasion of Ukraine - Impact on Fertilizer Supply and Use in India's Agricultural Sector Black Sea regional producers Ukraine and Russia are significant suppliers to India of nitrogen and potassic fertilizers utilized in agricultural production. FAS New Delhi sources indicate that a short supply of potassic fertilizers is unlikely to affect agricultural production prospects in the upcoming crop year in the major food grain belt of northwest India and the Indo Gangetic plains. However, select crops in India’s western and southern regions can be affected by short supplies as a drop in potassic fertilizer applications will impact the stress tolerance and quality performance of some crops. Fertilizer prices are expected to increase in the upcoming season.   India: Russian Invasion of Ukraine - Agricultural Trade Impact on India  Since initiating the hostilities, Vladimir Putin’s Russian Federation’s war of aggression against neighboring Ukraine has led to volatility in different sectors of the global economy. For India and the region, trade is disrupted in the grains, oilseeds, fertilizer, and energy sectors. Post sources inform us that some 380,000 MT of sunflower oil shipments destined for India from the Black Sea region are waylaid at ports. New purchases are being suspended for the foreseeable future due to the war. India is the largest market for Ukraine’s sunflower oil, which in 2021 exported $1.9 billion to India (out of $5.69 billion total). Disruption of sunflower oil consignments from Ukraine will potentially offer possibilities for increased U.S.-origin soybean oil shipments to India. The crisis has also improved Indian wheat and corn export prospects in the region.   Philippines: Philippines Streamlines Biotechnology Regulations with Revised Joint Department Circular On February 15, 2022, the Philippines approved the revised Joint Department Circular No. 1 (JDC), streamlining the regulatory policy governing plant biotechnology. Signed by five Department Secretaries, the document was published in two newspapers on March 8, 2022, and will go into effect 15 days later. The reforms are expected to shorten the timeline for approvals significantly and greatly reduce compliance costs for commercializing genetically engineered crops. Passage of the revised JDC again highlights Philippine leadership in biotechnology, following its approval of Golden Rice for commercial propagation in 2021. The science-based policy will foster agricultural innovation to help the country address Sustainable Development Goals of zero hunger (SDG 2) and climate action (SDG 13).   Thailand: The Impact of Russian Invasion of Ukraine on Thai Agricultural Sector Russian invasion of Ukraine is expected to significantly affect Thai agriculture. Agricultural production costs are expected to increase 7-13 percent in livestock production and 10-17 percent in field crops due to the surge in prices of feed-quality grains and fertilizers. Feed mills are expected to shift their feed wheat procurement to Australia during the supply disruption in Ukraine in 2022.   Thailand: Thailand's Food and Restaurant Trends in 2022 The COVID-19 health crisis continues to change the behavior of consumers and shaping new trends in the food and restaurant industry. Restaurants and retail stores are producing new products and services that are based on the consumer trends towards health and wellness.   Tunisia: Oilseeds and Products Annual Tunisian MY 2022/23 soybean imports are expected to reach 560,000 MT, compared to 555,000 MT in MY 2021/22. Tunisian olive oil exports are forecast to reach 135,000 MT in MY 2022/23, compared to 200,000 MT in MY 2021/22.   Turkey: Turkish Government Intervenes to Stabilize Cooking Oil Market Fearing rising prices and the perceived threat of sunflower oil shortages, customers have scrambled in recent days to stock up on cooking oils. The Turkish government has reassured the public that a shortage doesn't exist. At the same time, in order to stabilize local market conditions, the government recently halted cooking oil exports and also zeroed out tariffs on imported oils. Meanwhile, the purchase price of imported wheat continues its upward climb, and some local feed companies are reportedly considering limiting sales volumes if feed ingredient supplies become tight.   For more information, or for an archive of all FAS GAIN reports, please visit gain.fas.usda.gov/.