GAIN Reports from Friday, January 29, 2021

The following Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) reports were released on Friday, January 29, 2021.   Argentina: Agricultural Biotechnology Annual In 2020, Argentina became the first country to grant conditional approval for cultivation of Genetically Engineered (GE) wheat. In addition, a soybean event jointly developed between Argentine and Chinese developers was approved in Argentina and China. Recent regulatory framework updates eliminated the requirement to request permission to commercialize stacked GE events in Argentina. Ongoing issues relating to the lack of a perpetual royalty system for GE seeds remains largely unresolved.  Argentina: FAIRS Export Certificate Report   This report includes technical requirements and export certificates for the export of food and agricultural products to Argentina. It complements the Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards Narrative 2020 Report. Bangladesh: FAIRS Country Report The FAIRS Annual Country Report maintains the baseline information for Bangladesh as it relates to all food for human and animal consumption. In addition to an overview of the Government of Bangladesh's (GoB's) regulatory infrastructure and import control policies, this report includes FAS Dhaka's assessment of laws and requirements for food and agricultural products imposed on imports. This report is not meant to be a catalogue of all additive and pesticide regulations for all products nor an attempt to list all the GoB food laws. For further information, please contact AgDhaka@usda.gov. Guatemala: Consumer Oriented Products Snacks U.S. snack exports to Guatemala reached $18.9 million in 2019. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, sales of savory snacks grew by 10 percent in 2020, and retail volume sales grew by 5 percent to reach 87,700 tons.  Honduras: Honduras Sets Rough Rice Shortage Import Quota for 2021 Honduras Set a 118,800 MT Rough Rice Shortage Import Quota for 2021 after local production was severely hit by Hurricanes Eta and Iota. The Secretariat of Economic Development began issuing import licenses on January 4th which are valid until December 31st 2021. US rice exporters are advised to contact their local clients in Honduras to determine the amount every importer has been allocated based on local production purchases and to secure import licenses in a timely manner. Iceland: Iceland Launches its First Comprehensive Food Policy In December 2020, the Government of Iceland presented its first comprehensive Food Policy. The policy aims to ensure food security, sustainability, and efficiency, and extends to the year 2030. It lays out actionable items to improve national food security, consumer protection, marketing rules, etc. The strategy focuses on five specific areas: value creation, consumers, image and (food) security, the environment and climate, and public health.  Mexico: FAIRS Country Report This document provides an overview of major Mexican laws and regulations of agricultural and food products and their import regulations. It is essential to note that some products may be subject to several regulations and standards under different Mexican government agencies. FAS recommends stakeholders to work with experienced and established customs brokers.  Thailand: Rice Price - Weekly   Rice export prices increased around 3 percent due mainly to the strengthening of the Thai baht. Ukraine: Grain and Feed Quarterly Updated production, consumption and trade estimates both for marketing year MY2019/20 and MY2020/21.   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 ooseims.archieves@blogger.com using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service · 1400 Independence Avenue, SW · Washington, DC 20250