GAIN reports...

 

The following GAIN reports were released on October 15, 2024. _______     Colombia: The Colombian Cacao Sector - 2024 Update Colombia is the tenth largest producer of cacao globally. In 2023, Colombia produced 59,831 metric tons (MT) of cacao, with a planted area of 190,800 hectares. In 2022, Colombian exports of cacao began declining after several years of growth due to a slowdown in production. In 2023, Colombia exported 30,746 MT of cacao, the majority of which were cacao-derived products. The top five importers of Colombian cacao last year were the United States, Ecuador, Mexico, Venezuela, and Chile.   Ethiopia: FAIRS Export Certificate Report Annual This report summarizes the list of major export certificates, documentations, and other regulatory requirements to export food and agricultural products to Ethiopia. The report is organized using information obtained from publicly available sources as well as from industry contacts. Post strongly suggests this report be read with the FAIRS Country Report for an in-depth insight on Ethiopia’s import requirements, regulations, and standards.   Israel: Israel Adopts Additional European Union Standards for Agricultural Imports On August 4, 2024, the Government of Israel published the “Tenth Amendment to the Protection of Public Health (Food) – 2015” legislation under the Food Reform Law, which adopted more than 40 new food directives and regulations aligning with European Union standards. The legislation will be implemented on January 1, 2025, for most food products, and is subject to changes and transition periods. An appendix is attached to note the changes in regulations which could impact U.S. agricultural exports to Israel .   Japan: Japan Has Proposed Organizations That Can Issue Certification Documents Under the Revised Clean Wood Act On October 7, 2024, Japan's Forestry Agency proposed the list of organizations which the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries would like to designate as certifiers of information under the revised Clean Wood Act. The Forestry Agency has opened the public comment period until November 5, 2024.   Philippines: Philippines Enacted New Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Law President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed into law Republic Act (RA) No. 12022 or the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, which classifies agricultural smuggling, hoarding, profiteering, and engaging in a cartel as economic sabotage. This law also mandates the establishment of a Daily Price Index as a reference in determining whether economic sabotage is committed and the creation of implementing bodies (i.e., Anti-Agricultural Economic Council and the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Enforcement Group). RA No. 12022 repeals the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016.    The following GAIN reports were released on October 11, 2024. _______     China: China Expands Application of Genetically Modified Microorganisms Derived Products in Food Processing On September 13, 2024, China's National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment (CFSA) released Requirements for Application Materials for Safety Evaluation of Genetically Modified Microorganisms Used in Food Processing (Trial), which allows genetically modified microorganisms (GMMs) derived products without residual of exogenous genes and GMMs to be used as new food raw materials and new varieties of food-related products in addition to food additives.   China: FAS China Pea Market Insights From the China Pea 2024 and Plant-Based Congress FAS China attended the annual China Pea Conference and Plant-Based Congress, which was held in Shanghai, July 2024. This report provides the U.S. pea growers, exporters, and practitioners with pertinent updates on trade, challenges, and trends in peas, pea protein, and plant-based alternative products, as gathered intel from the conference. Please note that USDA does not officially endorse or support the accuracy of unofficial quantitative data taken from the presentations and/or discussions.   China: Retail Foods Annual China continued to be the world’s largest food importing country in 2023, with total food imports valued at $140 billion. The United States was the 4th largest source of China’s imports of consumer-oriented agricultural products in 2023. U.S. agricultural products are generally competitive in the China market and sought by local importers and end-users for their high quality. Particularly in the categories of Tree Nuts and Soup & Other Food Preparations, the United States ranked No. 1 in terms of market share among all other exporting countries. Beef, pistachios and almonds, cheese, pet food, wine, non-alcoholic beverages, and ginseng show great potentials.   China: Second Genetically Engineered Corn and Soybean Variety Registration List Finalized On October 8, 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) announced the registration of 30 genetically engineered (GE) corn and soy varieties, including 27 GE corn varieties and three GE soybean varieties. The second list of GE corn and soybean varieties was released initially for public comment on March 19, 2024. This report provides a link to a previous report containing an unofficial translation of the 30 GE corn and soybean varieties along with their yield performance information.   Ethiopia: FAIRS Country Report Annual This report presents regulatory requirements and standards that must be fulfilled to export food and agricultural products to Ethiopia. The report contains pertinent information on applicable laws, regulations, directives, guidelines, procedures, and key regulatory contact details. It is recommended that this report be read with the FAIRS Export Certificate Report for a comprehensive understanding of the import regulatory requirements and standards.   Germany: Retail Foods Annual Germany is the largest market for food and beverages in the European Union importing USD 69 billion worth of consumer-oriented agricultural products in 2023. The food retail sector is saturated, highly consolidated, and competitive. There is good sales potential in Germany for U.S. exporters of beef, nuts, fish and seafood products, beer and wine, and food preparations. The German Farmers Union (DBV) estimates that 80 to 90 percent of consumed products in Germany are consumer-oriented processed products. The war in Ukraine raised prices for energy, feed, and fertilizer, and subsequently groceries. As a result, many German consumers have cut back spending on both essential and non-essential products.   Indonesia: FAS Jakarta Promotes Role of Women in Agriculture Under ASEAN Umbrella FAS Jakarta and FAS Hanoi teamed up with U.S. Mission to ASEAN to organize a woman farmers’ roadshow bringing two U.S. woman farmers to Vietnam and Indonesia. The Nebraska rancher and Maryland farmer raised awareness of women’s role in agriculture ahead of the International Year of the Woman Farmer in 2026. While in Indonesia, the two speakers led a seminar attended by local woman farmers, agricultural extension workers, students, researchers, and faculty members from Indonesia’s leading agricultural university Bogor Agricultural University (IPB). They shared their experiences and best practices in agribusiness and discussed shared concerns and proposed ways to advocate for woman farmers’ equal access to resources and opportunities.   Mexico: Retail Foods Annual Mexico’s retail sector remains a dynamic industry with sales reaching $78.4 billion in 2023. Although the majority of consumers still turn to traditional markets, modern chains like Walmart and Soriana continue to attract middle and high-income consumers. Additionally, e-commerce, including grocery and food apps, have increased in popularity with a growing preference for convenience and easy access to goods and services. Retail trends include private label products, healthy snacks and confectionary goods, and plant-based alternatives for meat and dairy. Asian foods and sauces are increasing in popularity due to the growing Asian population, and as popular U.S. Asian food trends, particularly Japanese and Korean cuisine, cross the border   Philippines: Philippine Department of Agriculture Imposes Price-Based Special Safeguard Measure on Additional Agricultural Products The Philippine Department of Agriculture issued Department Order No. 16 (2024) on October 1, 2024, requesting the Bureau of Customs to continue imposing price-based special safeguard (SSG) measure on thirteen (13) agricultural tariff lines and impose price-based SSG on four (4) additional agricultural products. The Department Order takes effect immediately. The trigger prices for the various agricultural products were previously submitted to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in September 2002. However, the Philippines has yet to notify the WTO on its decision to continue applying SSG, pursuant to the WTO Safeguards Agreement.   Philippines: Philippines Implements Higher Biodiesel Blend Starting October 1, 2024, the Philippines moved to a B3 or 3 percent coco-methyl ester (CME) biodiesel mandate, from 2 percent previously. The blend will gradually increase to 4 percent in October 2025, and to 5 percent in October 2026. An estimated 900 million coconuts are needed to produce the 100-120 million liters of CME needed to comply with a 1 percent mandatory increase in CME blend.   Spain: Official Border Controls Reorganization Enters into Force Effective October 1, 2024, authority for Spanish import controls of agricultural products for human consumption has been transferred from the Ministry of Health to the authority of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA). Official border controls are now reorganized into a common integrated system for the import of food and related products. The new streamlined system intends to guarantee unity of action and simplify administrative procedures for imports by merging all plant and animal health inspectors under one authority.   Thailand: Rice Price - Weekly Rice export prices, particularly white and parboiled rice, dropped 5-11 percent from the previous week due to competition from Indian rice and the weakening of the Thai baht. USDA Recruiting Exporters for February Trade Mission to Thailand WASHINGTON, Oct. 15, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service will host its first-ever trade mission to Bangkok, Thailand, Feb. 3-6, 2025. Current and potential U.S. exporters interested in participating should apply for consideration by Oct. 29. “This mission represents an important opportunity for our farmers, ranchers, producers and agribusinesses to connect with potential partners from both Thailand and Burma,” said FAS Administrator Daniel B. Whitley. “Consumers in these markets are ready to stock their pantries with the world-class, high-quality food and farm products offered by the U.S. exporters that join us in February.” While in Bangkok, U.S. agribusiness representatives will take part in business-to-business meetings with potential importers from both Thailand and Burma and will learn about local and regional market conditions through site visits and in-depth market briefings by FAS staff and other regional trade experts. The United States was the fifth-largest supplier of agricultural products to Thailand in 2023, with $1.2 billion in exports. The top U.S. exports were bulk commodities used for feed and food manufacturing, but strong opportunities exist for consumer-oriented products as well. Thailand boasts the fourth-highest per capita income in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and real GDP growth is forecast at 2.6 percent in 2024, compared to 1.9 percent in 2022 A population of 70 million and an expanding middle class are driving demand for imported products.  U.S. exporters have opportunities in many sectors in Thailand, including dairy products, food preparations, seafood, tree nuts, fresh fruits, chocolate and cocoa, beef, wine, distilled spirits, hops, beer and food ingredients. In Burma opportunities exist for food preparations, dairy products such as cheese and whey, processed potatoes, fresh fruits, chocolate and cocoa, condiments and sauces, packaged foods, non-alcoholic beverages, wine, distilled spirits and seafood products. To learn more about the trade mission and to apply to take part, visit: https://fas.usda.gov/topics/trade-missions/thailand-february-2025. In addition to the Thailand trade mission, USDA intends to lead missions to Cote d’Ivoire, the Dominican Republic Guatemala, Hong Kong, Mexico and Peru in 2025. Watch https://fas.usda.gov/topics/trade-missions for details.   USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov. ### USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. For more information, or for an archive of all FAS GAIN reports, please visit gain.fas.usda.gov/.

The following GAIN reports were released on October 16, 2024.

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Japan: FAIRS Country Report Annual

This report provides an overview of Japan’s regulations and standards for foods and agricultural products. For more information on Japan's certification requirements, see the FAIRS Export Certificate Report for Japan.