Browse Data and Analysis

On Monday, June 24, 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) of the Government of Japan (GOJ) opened a public comment period for its revision for domestic field trial requirements of genetically engineered (GE) crops.

Hong Kong classifies ground meat as prohibited meat under its food legislation. Importers are required to secure a permit from Hong Kong authorities to allow the entry of U.S. meat shipments prior to arrival at Hong Kong’s port.

With the aging of the population and the decline in the number of people in rural areas, securing labor in the field of agriculture has become more challenging in Japan.

Thailand’s newly proposed National Energy Plan (NEP) lowered the on-road biofuel consumption target to reflect the lower mandated blend rate for biodiesel and set a target for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from 2026.

In 2023, the Hong Kong economy grew 3.2 percent year-on-year, slower than the government’s economic forecast. The economy has not fully returned to pre-pandemic levels due to weak domestic consumption and lagging challenges in the import and export trade.

Major specialty crops exported from the United States to the People’s Republic of China in 2023 include tree nuts ($1.2 billion), fresh fruit ($86 million), processed fruit ($70 million) and processed vegetables ($35 million).

Despite record production and ample stocks, the Philippines is forecast to import a record volume of rice. Large imports are spurred in part by high domestic prices and the recent government decision to reduce tariffs from 35 to 15 percent.

Rice export prices further dropped 1-3 percent due to the weakening of the Thai baht.

Soybean production for MY 24/25 is forecast at 19.6 million metric tons (MMT) based on planted area of 9.95 million hectares (Mha). The relatively low and declining soybean meal (SBM) prices since the beginning of MY 23/24 could encourage more SBM use in feed production.

This report covers peaches, nectarines, and cherries. Despite a persistent drought in northern China, production of peaches and nectarines is expected to gain slightly in MY 2024/25 to 17.6 MMT. Cherry production is estimated to continue increasing by 9 percent in MY 2024/25 to 850,000 MT on expanded area and increased bearings.

Taiwan issued a new WTO notification (G/TBT/N/TPKM/541) on June 7, 2024, amending the labeling regulations for liquid milk, which will mainly impact the nomenclature of liquid milk from the United States. Currently, liquid milk from the United States can be labeled as "fresh milk" if it complies with CNS regulation.

On July 1, 2024, the United States and Republic of Korea agreed to the labeling requirements outlined in this report regarding storage state for U.S. red meat and poultry products and U.S. processed red meat, poultry, egg, and dairy products.