Browse Data and Analysis

Due to higher input costs associated with planting corn, rice, and other crops, soybean and peanut production is expected to increase in marketing year (MY) 2024/25. Private sector investors are expanding oil palm production and increasing processing capacity to take advantage of strong demand and high prices.

MY 2023/24 saw rather disappointing yields for the UK rapeseed oilseed crop overall. In MY 2024/25 rapeseed production is forecast even lower at 900 thousand metric tons (MT) due to a combination of poor growing conditions, a sharp fall in the price of rapeseed, pest pressure and the increased attractiveness of agri-environment options.

FAS/San José expects Costa Rican sugar production in marketing year 2023/24 to recover from a 20-year low in the previous year and to continue to rise in marketing year 2024/25 on expanded area planted to sugarcane as producers in Guanacaste continue to abandon rice production.

Post forecasts Mexico’s sugar production at 5.5 million metric tons raw value (MMT-RV) for marketing year (MY) 2024/25 (October 1 – September 30), 13 percent higher than the estimate for MY 2023/24.

Sugar cane production in marketing year (MY) 2025 is forecast at 10.2 milllion metric tons (MMT). Cane sugar production in MY 2025 is forecast to reach 1.3 MMT, increasing 14 percent compared to the previous year.

Argentine wheat production in marketing year (MY) 2024/2025 is forecast at 16.8 million tons, 1 million tons higher than the previous weather-affected season. Exports are projected to remain practically flat at 10 million tons (including wheat flour in its wheat equivalent.

Haiti’s rice imports for marketing year July 2024 through June 2025 (MY 2024/2025) are forecast at 475,000 metric tons (MT), marginally higher compared to the previous marketing period driven by ongoing challenges to increase local production. Rice...

Australia’s sugar production is forecast to increase to 4.2 million metric tons (MMT) in marketing year (MY) 2024/25 from an estimated 4.1 MMT in MY 2023/24. This increase is due to an expected rise in sugar cane crush to 30.5 MMT in MY 2024/25, from an estimate of 29.8 MMT in the previous year.

Eswatini sugar cane production in MY 2023/24 was affected by unfavorable climatic conditions and proliferation of the yellow aphid leaf. This affected cane production and quality resulting to the season ending earlier than normal.

FAS/San José anticipates Costa Rica's Ministry of Foreign Trade to allocate 2024 Dominican Republic - Central America Free Trade Agreement rice quota allocations by the end of April, effectively constraining the availability of U.S. duty-free rice to the final eight months of 2024. Though Costa Rica typically allocates quota volumes in December of the preceding year, calculations of 2024 volumes have been contested by importers following an extraordinary process resulting from a 2022 cyber attack.

Costa Rica reinstated 35 percent tariffs on non-U.S.-origin rice after an administrative court overturned an August 2022 tariff reduction and the Government’s appeal was rejected. Demand for U.S. rice has surged following the tariff restoration on reduced South American-origin rice competitiveness.

The United Kingdom (UK) recently announced a number of voluntary tariff suspensions for agricultural and non-agricultural products, including around 70 new agricultural product suspensions.