| The following GAIN reports were released on July 6, 2021. _______ On December 30, 2020, the Brazilian National Biodiesel Production Program (CNPE) issued Resolution #14 with guidelines to implement a new market environment for biodiesel trade, which should replace the current biodiesel public auctions. The National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) announced that the new model would allow biodiesel producers and distributors to settle over-the-counter (OTC) contracts to guarantee 80 percent of biodiesel supply for a two months period. ANP reported that imported biodiesel would be allowed in the country as of January 2023. ANP has also been working on a custody chain approach, which will likely include a mass balance method to overcome some of the obstacles faced by biodiesel and corn-ethanol producers to get certified under Brazil's National Biofuels Policy (Renovabio). This report contains an unofficial translation of the 2021 version of "Approved Feed Additives", which is a revision of the same document published in December 2013. The 2021 version consolidates six notices made by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) and the Ministry of Agriculture from July 2014 to November 2020. Companies interested in exporting feed additives to China must ensure their products are listed in "Approved Feed Additives" and also meet the facility registration requirements established by the General Administration of China Customs (GACC). For additives not listed, companies must complete MARA's approval process for new feed additives. Colombia's retail sector continues to reinvent itself through a difficult economic period caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. exporters face new market conditions in Colombia, as well as new opportunities, resulting from changes to consumer habits and preferences during the pandemic, which has altered the landscape for the retail, food industry, and food service sectors. The Salvadoran retail sector has remained strong and stable amidst the pandemic of COVID-19. Despite the long confinement of approximately three months, Salvadorans continued to shop at supermarkets either in person (with some restrictions) or online, as major supermarket chains revamped their online stores. Super Selectos is the largest supermarket chain, followed by Walmart. Imports of U.S. consumer-oriented products reached to $240 million in 2020. Pork meat and products, beef and beef products, apples, cheese, deli meats/sausages and tree nuts were some of the categories showing growth in import value compared with 2019. On June 24, 2021, the European Commission published a roadmap outlining its intention to revise the labeling rules on alcoholic beverages as part of its Europe's Beating Cancer Plan. The revision will introduce a mandatory list of ingredients and nutrition for all alcoholic beverages placed on the EU market. Stakeholders can comment on the roadmap until July 22, 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic affected the retail industry in Guatemala. Although supermarkets remained open during the crisis, the sanitary measures dictated by the government greatly impacted supermarket sales. Walmart Mexico and Central America is the largest and the leading supermarket chain in Guatemala. The main competitors for supermarkets are the open-air markets and corner stores, which have a strong presence mainly in the interior of the country and sell mostly to low-income consumers. Despite the challenges delivered by the COVID-19 pandemic, India's food retail sector continues to grow rapidly thanks to the expanding presence of modern retail outlets and e-retail platforms in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities and rising consumer demand for convenience, value, safety/hygiene, and healthy foods. Opportunities for U.S. exporters exist in consumer-oriented products, especially tree nuts, fruits, and packaged/processed foods. Indonesia has maintained its nationwide biodiesel program with a high on-road blending rate average of 30 percent nationwide since 2020, despite the financial challenge of supporting a widening price spread between palm oil and diesel prices during the COVID-19 pandemic. After facing significant shortfalls in 2020, the CPO Fund subsidy program has generated record revenue as a result of high global palm prices during the first semester of 2021. Biodiesel exports are forecast to remain low due to export taxes, COVID-impacted demand for diesel in Europe, and a CPO-diesel price spread that has sharply curtailed China's discretionary demand. Social distancing measures related to COVID-19 are changing how Indonesian consumers shop, forcing retailers to seek more customers online and re-think store formats and location. After an initial increase following the onset of the pandemic, retail grocery sales ended 2020 down 13 percent at $97 billion. On June 10, 2021, Kenya notified a draft standard on canned vegetables to the WTO TBT Committee as G/TBT/N/KEN/1102. The comment deadline is August 11, 2021 with December 2021 as the proposed date of adoption. Comments can be sent to Kenya's National Enquiry Point at info@kebs.org. This report contains the official copy of the draft standard. The U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is the only U.S. FTA on the African continent and offers advantages to exporters seeking to do business in Africa. In 2020, U.S. exports of retail-related products to Morocco totaled $111 million. Post has identified limited volumes of U.S. seafood, chocolates, sauces, and spirits available on select Moroccan retail shelves. Best prospects include almonds, pistachios, protein concentrates, food preparations, cheese, rice, seafood, beer, spirits and liqueurs, sauces and condiments. As per the U.S. Morocco FTA, tariffs were phased out entirely on U.S. almond and tree nuts in January 2020. Almonds now represent the largest growth category in U.S. food exports to Morocco. Morocco's retail food sector has remained stable during the coronavirus outbreak. This report gives an overview of Thailand's food retail sector and current market updates. The food and beverage industry is one of the biggest retail segments in Thailand. Thailand's growing young, middle-income population with higher disposable incomes and a greater propensity to spend and a trend towards urbanization have also fueled the growth in the retail industry. The impact of the pandemic continues to impact the retail sector with the Thai Retailers Association reporting that Thailand's retail sector contracted 7-8 percent in the first quarter of 2021. Changes in the structure of Thai households and the pandemic have led to changes in how Thais eat with a rising demand for convenient ready-to-eat meals, healthy food products, and food delivery. On June 8, 2021, Uganda notified a draft standard on canned fruit cocktails to the WTO SPS Committee as G/SPS/N/UGA/162. This standard is an East African regional standard which Tanzania and Kenya have already notified. The comment deadline for the Ugandan standard is August 7, 2021 with September 2021 as the proposed date of adoption. Comments can be sent to the Uganda Bureau of Standards at info@unbs.go.ug. This report contains the official copy of the Ugandan standard.
For more information, or for an archive of all FAS GAIN reports, please visit gain.fas.usda.gov/. | 
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