GAIN Reports from June 29, 2023

The following GAIN reports were released on June 29, 2023. _______   Egypt: The Egyptian Government Extends Beef Liver Shelf-Life Decision Another Year  On June 26, 2023, Egypt's Minister of Trade and Industry (MTI) signed Decree No. 233 /2023. The decree renewed an earlier decision that extended the shelf-life validity period for imported frozen fish from six to nine months and of frozen beef liver from seven to ten months. The decree is valid for one year and expires June 30, 2024 (see APPENDIX I – Unofficial English Translation).   Serbia: Wheat Update The wheat planting area for MY2023/24 is estimated at 725,000 HA, some 17 percent higher than previous marketing year. Overall production is estimated to be 3.6 MMT, which represents a 12.5 increase compared to MY2022/23. With domestic consumption of around 1.7 MMT, and huge beginning stocks of 1.2 MMT, Serbia will have 2.5 MMT of wheat available for export in MY2023/24. Serbia also started the MY2022/23 for wheat with larger ending stocks than usual, mostly due to the record-breaking crop in MY2021/22, and to a great extent the ban and export restrictions that significantly hindered regular export flows March-July 2022. Due to extremely high domestic wheat prices, ban and restrictions on exports in MY2022/23, Serbia will export maximum 750,000 MT.   Pakistan: Grain and Feed Update Based on the Government of Pakistan's (GOP) first official assessment, the 2023/24 wheat production forecast is increased to a record 28.0 million tons. As a result of the higher domestic supply, the 2023/24 wheat import estimate is reduced from 3 to 2 million tons.   Ukraine: Tree Nuts Annual Post forecasts Ukraine's walnut production at 106,500 metric tons for marketing year (MY) 2023/24, similar to MY2022/23. Production fell in 2022 because some production areas are currently in occupied territory at the time of the report writing. Exports are slow, plagued by quality issues, constrained logistics because of armed conflict, and growing competition in international markets. Domestic consumption of walnuts is a mixed bag. The number of refugees that left the country is pushing it down while lowering consumption of imported tree nuts due to decreased disposable incomes by the population keeping it up. Ending stocks increased for each consecutive MY while domestic prices are sliding down.   United Kingdom: Retail Foods The cost-of-living crisis dominates this report, highlighting the increased price of food faced by consumers in the UK. In April 2023, the UK had its second highest food inflation rate for 45 years, standing at 19.1 percent. As a result, the way in which consumers shop has changed including shopping less often and spending more on private label products. The biggest change is the shakeup of the "big four" supermarkets which has dominated the UK grocery market for years. In September 2022, Aldi, a discounter showed unprecedented growth entering the top four, pushing Morrison's to number five. Healthy products, as well as vegetarian and plant-based products remain popular with consumers.     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