| The following GAIN reports were released on July 1, 2021. _______ All foods sold in Australia must comply with a range of laws designed to protect consumer, plant, and animal health. These laws apply equally to imported and locally produced foods. All imported food must comply with quarantine and imported food requirements, and then with food safety requirements. This report lists examples of the major export certificates and other documentation required by the Government of Australia for U.S. exports of food and agricultural products. Australia's import requirements for food and agricultural products are complex and change frequently. In 2020, Chile regained its position as the top market for U.S. consumer-oriented products in South America, followed by Colombia and Peru. The United States maintained its position as the second-largest supplier of consumer-oriented products to the Chilean market with a market share of 17 percent after Brazil, shipping $712.5 million. Retail food sales reached $27.9 billion in 2020, a 2.9 percent decrease over 2019 while supermarket sales totaled $15.1 billion and represented 54.2 percent in total retail sales. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chilean government designated the retail food sector as essential and continued to operate without interruptions. Local suppliers/distributors to supermarkets and mom-and-pop stores shifted toward e-commerce to reach consumers directly. As a result, online food and drink sales totaled 1.2 billion and grew by 133 percent in value. Post's MY2021/22 corn import forecast is 20 MMT, 6 MMTs below USDA's official forecast with the expectation that demand softens as corn imported during the current marketing year enters commercial channels, stock building moderates, and the expansion of domestic corn area results in greater production. In addition, imported corn's previous price advantage has narrowed as global grain prices and shipping costs are on the rise. Barley imports are increased as feed mills shift to substitute more barely over sorghum. All indications point to a bumper wheat harvest this year. While wheat continues to be substituted for corn in feed rations, there are few reports of imported wheat going into feed, but rather old stocks continue to be auctioned for feed use. On March 3, 2021, MARA published an updated feed catalog consolidating the 2012 version and subsequent revisions issued over the last several years. MARA indicated that, going forward, the feed catalog will be updated in a timely manner based on new revisions. All feed and feed ingredients must be listed in the MARA catalog in order to be eligible for import into China. This report contains an UNOFFICIAL translation of the catalog but U.S. exporters should remain aware that the original catalog, in Chinese, is the authoritative source. Exporters should consult with their importers for the most accurate definition of a "raw material" and ensure that their product is listed before exporting to China. FAS China forecasts soybean production to fall to 17.5 million metric tons (MMT) in marketing year (MY) 21/22 from an estimated 18.5 MMT the previous year due to a shift in planted area to corn production. With domestic corn prices currently near a six-year high and corn subsidies up, farmers are switching from soybeans to corn, particularly in China's northeastern grain belt. Soybean imports are forecast to reach 102 MMT in MY21/22 and an estimated 100 MMT in the current marketing year to meet modestly growing soybean meal demand for feed. Between April and June 2021 excess pork production in China has lowered pork prices, caused small and medium producers to liquidate farm inventories, and limited piglet restocking. Chinese authorities are instituting a system to address severe price fluctuations in live hogs and pork in an attempt to manage prices and support farmers. Continued price declines in live hog and pork prices will create potential gaps in pork production in the second half of 2021. Demand for imported pork is anticipated to remain robust. This report outlines Costa Rica's requirements for food and agricultural product imports. This year's report contains a new sub-category on packaging sustainability measures and updates on pesticide registration. COVID-19 shook the Israeli economy. As a result, Israel's GDP contracted by 2.6 percent in 2020. Though thanks to a very high rate of inoculation and the reopening of the economy since mid-February, Israel's GDP is projected to grow by 6.3 percent in 2021 and 5 percent in 2022. The Israeli food retail sector, unlike the majority of sectors, benefited from the pandemic and 2020 was a record year with an increase in revenues and profits. Israel is a net importer of all major categories of food products. Israeli food prices are 19 percent higher than the OECD average. Israeli citizens spend more than 16 percent of their income on food and beverages. Over 60 percent of consumers buy their food at supermarkets. The Government of Japan provides financial support to domestic livestock, dairy, and egg producers through various programs each year. In its most recent notification on domestic support to the World Trade Organization, Japan reported $6 billion in supports for beef, pork, dairy, and egg producers accounting for 97 percent of Japan's total aggregate measurement of support. This report summarizes Post's understanding of Japan's core support programs for these products. Please note that this report is not exhaustive and focuses primarily on longstanding programs that provide direct financial supports to producers. New Zealand has strict biosecurity rules for plant and animal products but also imports large volumes of food and beverage products. This report outlines regulatory requirements for food and agricultural products exported to New Zealand. Key recent changes include regulations relating to organic foods, as well as the introduction of country-of-origin labeling for some products. This report lists the major export certificates and other documentation required by the Government of New Zealand for U.S. exporters and food and agricultural products. New Zealand's import requirements for food and agricultural products are complex and change frequently. Therefore, this report focuses on the certificate requirements for U.S. products with the strongest export potential. Sections updated Section I and Section V. Morocco has increased its wheat and barley production estimate for MY 2021/22 by 206 percent over MY 2020/21 due to favorable weather conditions. The Ministry of Agriculture forecasts total wheat and barley production at 9.8 million metric tons, about 26.3 percent above Morocco's ten-year production average. The Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of Economy and Finance signed a joint decision regarding the implementation of a series of measures to help farmers market their harvest for the MY2021/22. This reports lists the main Nicaraguan food laws, technical regulations and import requirements. There were no major changes in Nicaragua's import procedures since the June 2020 report. This report lists Nicaraguan import requirements for export certification and import permits for agrochemicals, veterinary products, feedstuffs and food products for human consumption. There were no significant changes on the export certificates in 2020. This report is an addendum to the GAIN report number E42020-0069, EU Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards (FAIRS) Report, dated October 14, 2020. It outlines Norway's import requirements for food and agricultural products. While not a member of the European Union (but associated with the EU through its membership in the European Economic Area), this report lists the Norwegian import regulations and standards that are not harmonized with the EU or where Norway varies from the EU. The report aims to assist U.S. exporters who wish to export to Norway by providing information on labeling, packaging, permitted ingredients, and other relevant regulations and standards. It also provides contact information of the Norwegian government authorities. On June 26, 2021 the Philippine Department of Agriculture released the guidelines for implementing the increased tariff rate quota for pork imports, known as Minimum Access Volume (MAV). MAV Management Committee Resolution No. 1 supplements Executive Order 133 from May 10 by clarifying that 70 percent of the additional 200,000 MT of pork imports under MAV (i.e., MAV Plus) will available for importers from July to October 2021. Applicants can avail of the remaining 30 percent (60,000 MT) from November 2021 to January 2022, with both tranches allocated on a first come, first served basis. The Thai Food and Drug Administration (Thai FDA) issued its annual revision to its pesticide residue monitoring program for fresh produce. The protocol remains the same in practice; however, the fresh produce that are considered "high risk" have changed. The revised measures will take effect on October 1, 2021. Post revised its paddy harvested area and production output estimates for marketing year 2020/2021 (MY20/21) up to 7,360 thousand hectares (THA) and 43.90 million metric tons (MMT) (27.44MMT milled equivalent), higher than the USDA official numbers, on higher yields of the Spring and Autumn crop. Post also revised its MY20/21 export estimate down to 6.10MMT on competition, but revised its import estimate up to 800 thousand metric tons (TMT) due to higher numbers during the first months of this year.
For more information, or for an archive of all FAS GAIN reports, please visit gain.fas.usda.gov/. | 
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