GAIN Reports from Thursday, February 4, 2021

The following Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) reports were released on Thursday, February 4, 2021.   Germany: Call for Technology Neutrality Dominates Fuel of the Future Congress The 18th edition of the annual, international "Fuels of the Future" congress was held on January 18-22, 2021, in a purely digital format, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hot topics included the EU's renewable energy directive RED II and its transposition into German national law; biofuels and its alternatives (e-mobility, hydrogen, electricity-based fuels); and market conditions for biofuels and their feedstocks. Multiple speakers stressed that governments should remain neutral regarding which technologies to use for achieving greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction goals. They criticized the trend of favoring e-mobility over other options and demanded that sustainable biofuels must continue to play an important role in the foreseeable future. India: Cotton and Products Update Post estimates cotton production at 28.9 million 480-lb. bales in marketing year (MY) 2020/21 on an area of 13.3 million hectares. Post lowered its production estimate in response to expected lower yields in the state of Telangana. The new Committee on Cotton Production and Consumption (COCPC) estimates MY 2020/21 cotton production at 28.96 million 480 lb. bales on an area of 12.95 million hectares. Strong demand for cotton yarn and textiles has led to higher exports, and a surge in fiber and yarn prices in January. Government procurement under the MSP program continues across various states, securing over 24 percent of estimated total production. Indonesia: Oilseeds and Products Update To stabilize rising soybean prices the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) has put forth a three-phase plan that includes: "market operations" whereby importers would be required to sell soybeans at a loss to tempeh and tofu makers; "partnership agreements" between importers and soybean farmers, which would require importers to absorb local soybeans at fixed prices; and classifying soybeans as a "strategic commodity", which would allow the GOI to place restrictions on imports. Palm oil exports are revised downward as higher prices have increased export tax and levy assessments Japan: Japan Ag Ministry 2021 Budget Signals Shift to Exports The Government of Japan's 2020 third supplementary budget allocates 1.05 trillion yen ($10 billion) to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) to fund trade agreement countermeasures, continuation of COVID-19 economic relief support programs, and disaster preparedness and land reinforcement measures. Highlights from the supplementary budget include new support payments to encourage the conversion of acres away from table rice to other products, the continuation of support payments for the export of perishable products, and the establishment of a livestock products export consortium. MAFF is also expected to receive 2.31 trillion yen ($22.2 billion) for its 2021 budget, down 4.4 percent from last year.   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