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The major export certificates required by Saudi Arabia’s regulatory and import control agencies are included in this Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards (FAIRS) - Certificates Report. These certificates are required for the importation of food and agricultural products into the Kingdom. Information in this report supplements the FAIRS Annual Country Report.

Saudi Arabia has published numerous regulations and standards over the years. While many of these regulations (both mandatory and voluntary) were notified to the World Trade Organization (WTO), most were immediately implemented making it difficult for U.S. exporters to adjust or comment.

As of June 6, 2024, Turkiye has announced the suspension of wheat imports under the Inward Processing Regime from June 21-October 15, 2024. It also liberalized exports of milling wheat, durum wheat, and barley. In the same announcement, the Turkish Grain Board (TMO) announced new intervention prices for wheat and barley.

On June 27, 2024, the Egyptian Ministry of Trade and Industry signed Decree No. 361/2024. The Decree extended the shelf-life validity period for imported frozen beef liver from seven to twelve months and for frozen fish from six to ten months. The decree is valid for six months, as of July 1, 2024, and expires on December 31, 2024.

In order to support the introduction of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) is going to hold expert committee meetings to discuss the framework of upcoming SAF regulations.

On June 28, 2024, China notified a supplemental Entry Plant Quarantine Pests List to the World Trade Organization (WTO) under G/SPS/N/CHN/1301. China’s SPS Enquiry Point at sps@customs.gov.cn will accept comments on the draft until August 27, 2024. This report provides an unofficial translation of the Announcement and includes the additional pests list as an attachment. Stakeholders should conduct their own review of the regulation and provide comment as necessary.

In April 2024, Canada launched the Federal Plastics Registry requiring businesses to report each year, starting in 2025, on the quantity and types of plastic they place on the market and how that plastic moves through the economy. Draft regulations and measures on other plastic packaging initiatives (minimum recycled content, recyclability labeling, reduction targets, etc) are expected by the end of 2024.

China is a leading producer of food and agricultural products in the world and one of the top markets for U.S. agricultural exports. Despite China’s slower-than expected economic recovery in 2023, demand for U.S. agricultural and food products remain strong with imports of consumer-oriented products totaling $84 billion.

Fueled by a rebound in hospitality and food service, the Philippine economy outperformed Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia in 2023 despite inflationary pressure. Total U.S. agricultural and related exports to the Philippines reached $3.6 billion in 2023 with U.S. consumer-oriented and intermediate agricultural exports ranking the highest in Southeast Asia.

In 2023, Portugal imported almost $294 million worth of agricultural, fish, and forestry products from the United States. Outside the European Union Member States, the United States was the third main origin of Portuguese agricultural and related imports.

As tourists flock back to the Caribbean in larger numbers and island economies regain their footing after being challenged by global inflation, competition, and other headwinds, opportunities for U.S. suppliers are slowly emerging. While hurdles remain present on the horizon, U.S. suppliers are finding resilient Caribbean buyers to be excellent partners on the road to commercial success.

Taiwan is highly dependent on agricultural imports due to its insufficient farmland. In 2023, it imported $3.66 billion of food and agricultural products, making it US' eighth largest trading partner in agricultural goods. This extraordinary amount is achieved also because Taiwan has one of the highest disposable incomes in north Asia, and consumers generally have positive impressions of U.S. food and beverage products.