East Asia and the Pacific

With the further relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions, increased consumer mobility resulted in higher foot traffic in restaurants and hotels. Consumers have become more confident in dining in restaurants.

FAS Manila revised MY 2022/23 milled rice production downward to 11.975 million MT both because of a 3 percent expected reduction in yields as soaring fertilizer prices result in significantly reduced application and because of the effects of Typhoon Noru (Local name: Karding).

Taiwan is the seventh-largest market for U.S. agricultural exports. Taiwan has vibrant urban communities and a highly developed e-commerce industry that provides convenience for customers, all which support Taiwan’s continued demand for safe and high-quality food products. In addition, evolving consumption trends suggest customers are increasingly looking for western-style food options that cannot be locally sourced. Since domestic food production alone cannot match increased food demand, agricultural imports will continue to play an important role in Taiwan’s retail food economy. While trade barriers exist and competition intensifies, opportunities to increase U.S. agricultural exports remain promising.

USDA will invest $178 million in seven international development projects on four continents to support U.S. government priorities including promoting climate-smart agriculture, facilitating trade and addressing the root causes of migration in Central America.

USDA will invest $220 million in eight new school feeding projects that are expected to benefit more than a million children across 2,200 schools in food-insecure countries in Africa and East Asia, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today.

FAS is awarding $300,000 to six U.S. universities – including three minority-serving institutions – for research and educational partnerships focused on climate-smart agriculture in tropical countries.