GAIN Reports from Monday, August 24, 2020

The following Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) reports were released on Monday, August 24, 2020.          Argentina: Biofuels Annual   The Covid-19 pandemic is negatively impacting the Argentine biofuels sector in 2020 as long-term lockdown provisions continue to restrict the full range of personal and commercial activities. Bioethanol consumption is forecast at 880 million liters, the lowest in five years, with capacity utilization at 55 percent. Biodiesel production in 2020 is projected to drop to 1.85 billion liters, the lowest in the past decade in response to a reduction in local and export demand. The biofuels law requiring blend mandates for ethanol and biodiesel (the mandate for biodiesel has not held in 2020) will expire in May 2021, with ongoing discussions as to whether an extension or new law may be options under consideration by the government. Chile: Stone Fruit Annual   For marketing year (MY) 2020/21, due to favorable climatic conditions and increasing planted area, Post estimates a 12.1 percent cherry production increase over MY2019/20, totaling 286,000 metric tons (MT), and 13 percent increase in exports reaching 259,000 MT. For MY2020/21, Post projects fresh peaches and nectarines production will reach 169,000 MT while exports will reach 106,000 MT, a three percent increase from the previous marketing year assuming unchanged planted area and higher yields. China: Shenzhen Institutes New COVID-19 Measures for Imports of Meat and Seafood On August 18, 2020, the city of Shenzhen in South China imposed new COVID-19 handling and testing requirements for imports of frozen meat and seafood. There is concern that these new measures, which are inconsistent with international guidelines, could contribute to delays at Shenzhen ports and dampen consumer demand for imported meat and seafood. An unofficial translation of the new measure is provided herein. India: Almond Kernel Standards and Other Various Food Products Published in the Indian Gazette The Government of India's Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) notified in the Official Gazette of India, the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Third Amendment Regulations, 2020. The amendment regulations relate to standards for almond kernel, coconut milk powder (non-dairy), rice, chia seeds, gari (cassava product), edible cassava flour, roasted Bengal gram flour, ragi flour, mixed spices powder, spice Oleoresins, bay leaf, star anise and phytostanol. The implementation date is July 1, 2021. India: COVID-19 in India - Weekly Food Retail Update Weekly report as of August 21, 2020, of COVID-19 impact on India's food retail sector.   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