Browse Data and Analysis

As tourists flock back to the Caribbean in larger numbers and island economies regain their footing after being challenged by global inflation, competition, and other headwinds, opportunities for U.S. suppliers are slowly emerging. While hurdles remain present on the horizon, U.S. suppliers are finding resilient Caribbean buyers to be excellent partners on the road to commercial success.

Taiwan is highly dependent on agricultural imports due to its insufficient farmland. In 2023, it imported $3.66 billion of food and agricultural products, making it US' eighth largest trading partner in agricultural goods. This extraordinary amount is achieved also because Taiwan has one of the highest disposable incomes in north Asia, and consumers generally have positive impressions of U.S. food and beverage products.

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.

With a population of nearly 36 million people, including a segment of high-income consumers looking for quality imported products, Angola presents an array of export opportunities for U.S. food and agricultural products. Angola is a significant importer of food and agricultural goods, making foreign purchases totaling more than $1.7 billion from more than 60 countries in 2023.

Indonesia’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 5.1 percent in 2023, making its economy the 16th largest globally. The United States is the second largest supplier of agricultural products to Indonesia with an 11-percent market share in 2023. Major exports include soybeans, wheat, cotton, milk powder, feeds and fodders, dairy, fresh fruit, and beef and beef products.

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, with a relatively young and urbanizing populace. While there are clear food and agricultural export opportunities, the weakened economy is still making its way out of a very difficult 2023. Consumers are contending with food price inflation, and wages have not kept pace with the increase in living costs.

Marketing Year (MY) 2024/25 rice production and consumption forecasts remain unchanged since the April 2024 Grain and Feed Annual Report. Post revised MY 2023/24 rice imports down based on the import tender fulfillment pace by the Korean government. Progress allocating the 2024 rice tariff rate quota (TRQ) has been favorable for the United States, but local distribution of imported U.S. table rice has not kept pace, as auctions remain suspended since November 2023.

Morocco is facing low wheat production in marketing year 2024/25 due to drought. The Ministry of Agriculture forecasts total wheat and barley production at 3.12 million metric tons, about 43 percent down from the previous year’s crop. In response to low production and rising wheat prices globally, the government of Morocco continues to support bread wheat imports based on a fixed flat-rate payment through June 30, 2024.

Higher feed demand from broiler, aquaculture, and ruminants will push total feed use slightly higher in MY2024/25 with greater corn inclusion into feed rations than previous years. MY2024/25 corn production is forecast larger than MY2023/24 with larger yields.

On June 27, 2024, China’s Food Safety Standards Monitoring and Evaluation Department of the National Health Commission (NHC) released a letter soliciting public comments on fourteen National Food Safety Standards and related regulations.

On June 26, Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries affirmed that it would increase the tariff-rate quota volumes for butter to 14,000 MT, but would leave non-fat dry milk (NFDM) unchanged at 750 MT.

This report is an overview and update of Thailand’s import regulations and standards for food and agricultural imports. For more information on Thailand’s certification requirements, see the FAIRS Export Certificate Report for Thailand.