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China’s avocado production and imports are estimated to grow as the demand for high-quality fresh avocados continue to rise. Top consumers are females, under 35 years of age, and residing in first-tier cities.

Hungary is one of the strongest opponents of transgenic engineering in the European Union. Maintaining the country’s GE-free status is still a government priority. However, Hungary’s scientific and agricultural organizations and breeding and research institutions are speaking out in support of non-transgenic genome editing. In the case of an enabling legislative environment in the EU, the country would be open to adopting innovative biotechnologies.

Public rejection of genetically engineered (GE) plants in Germany is widespread. There is no commercial GE crop production and practically no food labeled as containing “genetically modified organisms” (“GMO”) on the market. Despite this, Germany is home to world-class companies that develop and supply GE seeds globally from facilities outside the European Union. Germany’s livestock industry is a major consumer of imported GE soybeans for use as animal feed.

The Philippines is a regional biotechnology leader and the first country in the world to approve Golden Rice for commercial propagation. The Bt Eggplant biosafety permit was signed on October 17, 2022, allowing commercial propagation. Planting of Golden Rice has started since its approval in 2021, while Bt corn acceptance has grown with more than 600,000 hectares planted in 2021.

After over ten years, Serbia still has not implemented changes to its Law on Genetically Engineered Organisms (GEOs) which was adopted in 2009. The current law strictly prohibits the importation, production, or commercial growing of genetically engineered crops. The law does not conform to European Union (EU) regulations or the World Trade Organization (WTO) Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement.

This report describes production, trade, research, policy, and marketing issues of genetically engineered (GE) plants, animal products, and microbial biotechnology in Italy. Despite Italy’s opposition to GE products, the Italian Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry Policies, along with leading farmers’ associations (Coldiretti, Confagricoltura, and Cia), agri-food industry players, and scientists have come forward in favor of innovative biotechnologies, such as genome editing.

This year’s report does not contain significant changes from last year’s report. Chile continues allowing the reproduction of seeds under strict control of the Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG) of the Ministry of Agriculture.

With international funding to develop and implement biosafety regulatory systems drying up in 2019, Caribbean biosafety regulatory efforts remain in idle mode. The region is seeking further funding from the United Nations Environmental Program/Global...

In September 2022, Tanzania’s Ministry of Agriculture directed the Tanzania Agriculture Research Institute (TARI) to identify a research station for trials of genetically engineered (GE) crops. This decision appears to reverse the Government of Tanzania’s (GoT) 2021 ban on all GE crop research trials.

There is no legal impediment to the use of biotechnology in El Salvador. Genetically engineered (GE) corn field trials were successfully completed. Also, the Ministry of Environment completed the regulatory framework for the safe use and commercialization of GE products. A new government administration that took office in June 2019, has shown interest in biotechnology and how it can help advance agricultural competitiveness in El Salvador.

U.S. agricultural exports to Jamaica in 2021 totaled nearly $500 million, making the United States a key trading partner for the Caribbean nation. Currently, some U.S. exported livestock feed inputs and intermediate foods to Jamaica are produced using biotechnological methods. Jamaica recently approved a national Biosafety Policy which will guide how biotechnology and biosafety is utilized in the country.

Agricultural biotechnology constitutes an opportunity for U.S. suppliers, as local non-governmental and governmental organizations have worked to encourage its integration into the Haitian economy in recent years. Although biotechnology remains a controversial issue among the Haitian community, Haiti depends heavily on imports from countries where the use of agricultural biotechnology is common.