Browse Data and Analysis

On March 6, 2023, China notified the National Food Safety Standard: Formulas for Special Medical Purposes Intended for Infants (GB25596-xxxx) to the WTO SPS as G/SPS/N/CHN/1268. This Draft Standard will replace the existing National Food Safety Standard: Formulas for Special Medical Purposes Intended for Infants (GB25596-2010).

Demand for food processing ingredients such as tree nuts, dairy products, pulses, meat, and frozen and dried fruit is expected to continue to expand. Exporters are encouraged to visit China and meet with potential partners in this large and growing market for high quality U.S. products.

Peru’s food processing industry is a dynamic sector of the national economy. The food industry in Peru accounts for almost 27 percent of the industrial gross domestic product. The sector declined 3.9 percent with respect 2021, mainly due to international externalities such as higher costs of food ingredients and energy.

As factories have effectively returned to pre-COVID operations, food and beverage manufacturers have purchased more food and beverage ingredients to address domestic consumption. However, elevated inflation of near six percent remains the primary driver of food and beverage spending.

On March 22, 2023, the Polish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development proposed a draft Act on Special Arrangements to Improve the Supervision over Animal Health and Protection. The proposed legislation introduces several solutions on the protection, maintenance, treatment, and movement of animals.

Taiwan’s soybean imports are forecast at 2.65 MMT for MY2022/2023 and MY2023/2024. In MY 2021/2022, Taiwan imports of soybeans reached a record high of $1.74 billion. To stabilize commodity prices and reduce inflationary pressure for consumers, since February 2022 Taiwan has waived business taxes on imported soybeans, currently set to expire on June 30, 2023.

Taiwan’s domestic wheat production, 4,000 MT in MY2022/2023, is dwarfed by imports at 1.4 MMT for the current MY. Australia is expected to further recover wheat market share from the United States due to competitive pricing and production recovery.

Strong tourism, high petroleum rents, and an accompanying economic boom in the United Arab Emirates are forecast to grow the consumptive base and drive imports of wheat and rice higher in the coming marketing year.

FAS Manila forecasts copra production at 3 million MT for MY 2023/24 because of the coming El Niño and the break from the 3-year productive cycle. Soybean meal imports are projected to reach 2.9 million MT because of expected expansion in the broiler and aquaculture sectors.

FAS/Managua projects marketing year 2023/24 Nicaraguan peanut production to return to historic high levels, near 200,000 metric tons on an in-shell basis, as deteriorating political conditions and rising economic instability improve the risk-reward calculations of peanuts relative to longer-term investments in sugar or cattle.

As of March 2023, Pakistani authorities still ban genetically engineered (GE) oilseed imports. While they have made some progress in developing a system to allow for GE oilseed imports, uncertainty regarding when that system will be operative clouds the outlook for oilseed imports.

This report provides information to U.S. exporters of agricultural and related products on how to do business with the Food Processing industry in Panama. It is primarily a service – based economy, but food processing is one of its top industries.