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On November 28, 2023, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare/Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) published Order F. No: TIC-B02/3/2023-IMPORTS-FSSAI. This FSSAI order allows for the rectification of all non-compliant labels on imported food consignments at the port-of-entry.

The Food and Agricultural Imports Regulations and Standards (FAIRS) report provides an overview of the food laws and regulatory environment in Brazil as it relates to food and agricultural exports.

This report provides information on the laws and regulations for food, import rules for food, and contact information in the Czech Republic. It is recommended to read the EU Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards, because the Czech Republic, a member of the European Union, follows the EU directives and regulations.

FAS/Sofia’s marketing year (MY) 2023/24 sunflower production estimate is lowered to 1.7 million metric tons (MMT) based on the final harvest data. The sunflower crop suffered from severe and prolonged summer drought and high heat which reduced yields considerably.

Planting of India’s rabi season (i.e., winter sown, spring harvested) crops is progressing somewhat slower than anticipated due to relatively dry soil moisture conditions.

In 2023, Hong Kong did not have any policy changes to regulations pertaining to genetically engineered (GE) products, while monitoring the development of synthetic biology.

The EU's intricate biotechnology policy hinders research and restricts innovative tools for farmers. This results in substantial imports of genetically engineered (GE) feed and limited domestic GE crop production.

Despite the private sector's support for biotechnology, Venezuela maintains a ban on the domestic use and research of modern biotechnology-derived agriculture. Venezuela’s basis for the ban is through the Seed Law of December 2015, which also prohibits the importation of genetically engineered (GE) seeds.

Ghana’s National Biosafety Authority (NBA) on Friday September 15, 2023, approved the Bt cowpea event 245F (Cry2Ab) for environmental release.

Although Mozambique has not yet approved the use of genetically engineered (GE) crops, an effort has been made to start drafting an updated biosafety/biotechnology law that will allow GE commercialization.

India remains undecided on genetically engineered (GE) crops and products derived from biotechnology (biotech) for food and feed use.

Brazil is the second-largest producer of biotech crops in the world with 105 events approved. For the 2022/2023 crop season, FAS Brasilia forecasts 68 million hectares planted with GE traits. Adoption rates for soybeans and cotton reached 99 percent and for corn, 95 percent.