GAIN Reports from Friday, November 27, 2020

The following Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) reports were released on Friday, November 27, 2020.     Belgium: Belgium Extends Neonicotinoid Use on Sugar Beet Seed for 2021   For the third year in a row since the European ban on use of neonicotinoids from 2018, Belgium will grant a derogation for sugar beet. Belgian beet growers applaud this decision, as they fear the impact of beet yellowing virus, which provoked major yield losses in France in 2020. However, many beet farmers forgo the use of neonicotinoid treated beet seeds because of the attached major restrictions on following crops, which significantly disrupt the farm crop rotation management. Belgium: Belgian Regains African Swine Fever-Free Status   On November 20, 2020, the European Commission declared Belgium free of African Swine Fever (ASF), one year after the last finding of an ASF infection. Belgium becomes only the second EU Member States (MS), after the Czech Republic in 2019, to eradicate the disease and regain export eligibility, while eleven other EU MS continue to fight the disease. This EU decision opens the door for Belgian pork exporters to seek export approval to overseas markets, especially China and other Asian countries. The Belgian pork industry faced severe losses over the last year years after suffering from its own ASF outbreak, the arrival of the COVID-19 crisis, and the outbreak of ASF in its first export market, Germany Ecuador: Exporter Guide This report serves as a road map for U.S. companies exporting to Ecuador. While Ecuador is a challenging market for U.S. food and agricultural products, it is also one of opportunities. Domestic production cannot meet consumer demand, necessitating continued imports. Additionally, younger and lower to middle-income consumers' appetite for imported products continues to grow despite the economic situation. The Ecuador-EU Free Trade Agreement continues to threaten the United States' market share in processed and fresh products.  European Union: EU Commission Launches Consultations to Assist in the Review of its Emission Reduction Legislation  On November 13, the Commission launched public consultations on three of its climate-related pieces of legislation: the Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry Regulation, the Effort Sharing Regulation, and the EU Emission Trading System Directive. These legislative acts feed into binding greenhouse gas emission targets for all sectors of the EU economy including forestry, agriculture and transport. With the European Green Deal, the Commission wants to revise these policies and align them to the EU's new objective of climate neutrality by 2050. European Union: The EU Infringement Procedure In EU law, the European Commission is responsible for monitoring whether EU regulations are applied correctly and on time. If a Member State fails to implement EU legislation, the Commission can launch the so-called "infringement procedure" to remedy the situation. India: India Notifies Fortified Food Product Draft Amendments   On November 13, 2020, the Government of India (GOI) published draft regulation related to both new and revised standards for fortified food products. The draft regulation invites comments from World Trade Organization (WTO) member countries, and the comment period expires 60-days after the notification is published on the WTO website (www.wto.org). Indonesia: Cotton and Products Update Indonesia cotton consumption for 2019/20 has declined to a 10-year low of 2.4 million bales due to weaker domestic and overseas demand related to COVID-19. The U.S. has maintained its position as Indonesia's largest supplier of cotton, accounting for 36 percent of imports.  Malaysia: Agricultural Biotechnology Annual Malaysia currently does not have any domestic production of plant biotechnology. However, the country continues to expand the number of approved genetically engineered (GE) products for commercial use. As of August 2020, 46 GE products have been approved for import and market release. This is an increase of 21 percent from the 38 products that were approved as of October 2019. The Malaysian Ministry of Health established mandatory GE labeling guidelines in 2013 but they have yet to be enforced. Netherlands: HPAI Detected on Sixth Farm as Trade Implications Mount   The Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality has reported six findings of high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) at commercial poultry farms in the Netherlands. So far, HPAI has not been detected in the main poultry production area in the Province of Gelderland. Nevertheless, the top two export markets for Dutch poultry meat, the Philippines and Ghana, have both imposed trade bans. Philippines: Agricultural Biotechnology Annual The Philippines is a biotechnology leader in Southeast Asia, highlighted by its co-sponsorship of the International Statement on Agricultural Applications of Precision Biotechnology at the World Trade Organization this year. With the many challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, key milestones that were expected in 2020 have been delayed. The country approved Golden Rice for direct use in December of 2019, while the application for commercial propagation is expected soon. Likewise pending are positive regulatory developments that are now likely to be completed in 2021, including the review of current biotechnology regulations embodied in the Joint Departmental Circular of 2016. Meanwhile, next year should also see the debut of regulatory frameworks for genetically engineered animals and for new breeding techniques (e.g. gene editing). Russia: Eurasian Economic Union Ag Times No 2 of 2020 This report contains summaries of relevant decisions and documents from the Armenia-Belarus-Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan-Russia Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) meetings, published between May 19 and November 20, 2020, that impact EAEU food and agriculture policy. Key documents included herein are Protocols deferring scheduled import tariff increases for agricultural items for Armenia and Kyrgyzstan from 2020 to 2021, a number of EAEU SPS and TBT measures that were notified to the WTO by EAEU members and the EEC Collegium decision No. 102 establishing EAEU tariff-rate quotas for 2021. Saudi Arabia: Agricultural Biotechnology Annual Although Saudi Arabia has adopted regulations that allow for the import of biotech seeds, Saudi farmers have not shown an interest in importing or planting biotech seeds. Saudi Arabia requires that products must be labeled if they contain more than one percent genetically engineered (GE) plant or microbial ingredients. As a result, the import of biotech retail food products is extremely limited. However, Saudi Arabia imports large quantities of biotech U.S. corn and soybeans. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Standardization Organization (GSO) regulations prohibit the import of genetically modified animals, birds, fish and their products. Currently, there are no ongoing commercial development activities for GE plants in Saudi Arabia.  Saudi Arabia: Food Service - Hotel Restaurant Institutional   Saudi Arabia is home to an over-sized and resilient hotel, restaurant and institutional (HRI) industry that is a promising market for U.S. exporters. In addition to local cultural preferences, demand is driven by religious pilgrims and foreign labor. In 2019, total consumer food service revenue was approximately $21.7 billion, but the market experienced a sharp contraction in 2020 due to COVID-19 and lower oil prices. While demand at quick service restaurants has largely rebounded, partly due to home delivery apps, fine dining establishments have been slower to recover. In 2021, Post expects the HRI sector to resume its long-term growth of approximately three percent per year once the economy overcomes the impact of COVID-19. Saudi Arabia: Retail Foods U.S. exports of consumer-oriented food products to Saudi Arabia increased approximately 11 percent in 2019 to a record high of $588 million while retail sales of packaged food were estimated at approximately $20 billion. Even though COVID-19 delayed some U.S. exports in 2020, Post anticipates a recovery in 2021 due in part to a growing population with more disposable income. U.S. food is generally viewed as a higher-quality product, and the United States is well-positioned to gain market share in traditional retail outlets and several new home delivery food buying apps. Sweden: HPAI Detected in Commercial Turkey Flock in Sweden   On November 17, 2020, the Swedish Board of Agriculture reported a finding of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus on a commercial poultry farm. The Swedish poultry sector exports only small volumes of broiler meat to non-EU destinations. Turkey: Agricultural Biotechnology Annual Turkey published its Biosafety Law and implementing regulations in 2010. This legislation has continued to disrupt trade and Turkey's domestic agriculture and food sectors. As of September 30, 2020, there are only 36 (10 soybean and 26 corn) events approved for feed use in Turkey. No events are approved for food use or cultivation. Turkey approved the production of three enzymes for industrial usage purposes by using Aspergillus oryzae improved by modern biotechnological methods in May 2020. Testing of imported products remains inconsistent and continues to be a considerable cost for importers. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MinAF) is the only authority for biotechnology approvals. Turkey: Cotton and Products Update Turkey's cotton production is now estimated at 625,000 MT (2.87 million bales) on 350,000 hectares in marketing year (MY) 2020/21. The yield in the South Eastern (GAP) region has been a bit better than expected due to favorable weather conditions. Low yields in the last few MYs, unattractive cotton prices, inflated costs, uncertainty created by COVID-19, and better returns from alternative crops, in addition to low subsidies from the government and the third-year rotation rule are the major reasons for the decrease in planting areas. Cotton consumption in Turkey has been estimated at 1.45 million MT (6.66 million bales) for MY 2019/20 and imports for the same period reached one million MT (4.67 million bales), a record high amount in recent years. 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