GAIN Reports from Friday, August 21, 2020

The following Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) reports were released on Friday, August 21, 2020.         Peru: Peru Grants Temporary Market Access for Fish and Seafood Products for Reprocessing   Peru's Fisheries Sanitary Agency (SANIPES) grants temporary access to imported fish and seafood for reprocessing. This pilot project, which aims at supporting the underutilized local seafood processing industry, will expire on August 15, 2021. South Africa: South Africa Lifts Ban on Alcohol Sales and Distribution   Initially banned in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, South Africa announced that the sale and distribution of alcohol would be reauthorized from August 17, 2020. However, some restrictions will still apply, such as sales will only be allowed from Monday to Thursday during the hours 9 am - 5 pm at retail outlets and until 10 pm only at restaurants. While the lifting of the ban has been widely welcomed, the economic impact has been devastating. The domestic industry is reported to have lost more than R25 billion (US$1.4 billion) in revenue; about 120,000 jobs have been lost; 80 wineries and 350 wine grape producers will go out of business; and about 45 percent of craft brewers have closed down. So far in 2020, U.S. exports of distilled spirits, wine and beer to South Africa are already 39 percent lower than the same period last year due to the ban and related restrictions. Taiwan: Organic Trade Expansion Expected Under US Taiwan Organic Equivalency Arrangement   Taiwan is the fifth largest export market for U.S. organic products, reaching over $90 million in sales in 2019. Thanks to the May 2020 equivalence arrangement between U.S. and Taiwan, U.S. organic sales in Taiwan are forecast to grow by almost 50 percent between 2020 to 2025. Taiwan: Taiwan Reinforces Health Claim Regulations   The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) recently strengthened the enforcement of food labeling requirements for health claims. If food labels containing a health claim are not registered and approved, TFDA may impose a fine between US$1,300 and US$180,000 for misleading consumers. U.S. exporters of products making health claims need to be vigilant with packaging and advertising material to ensure compliance. Thailand: Rice Price - Weekly Export prices increased 4-5 percent due to tight domestic supplies. Turkey: Stone Fruit Annual The total cherry production forecast in Turkey in Marketing Year (MY) 2020/21 is 918,000 metric tons (MT), which is 72,000 MT more than MY 2019/20. The peach and nectarine production forecast for MY 2020/21 is 870,000 MT, 40,000 MT more than MY 2019/20. Stone fruit exports are increasing due to abundant production and strong demand from the Russian and EU markets. Turkey aims to improve its exports of fresh sweet cherries to China. This report covers cherries, peaches, and nectarines.   For more information, or for an archive of all FAS GAIN reports, please visit gain.fas.usda.gov/.     Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please visit subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com. This service is provided to you at no charge by USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. This email was sent to stevenmagallanes520.nims@blogger.com using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service · 1400 Independence Avenue, SW · Washington, DC 20250