The following GAIN reports were released on November 30, 2021.
On November 17, 2021, the European Commission published a proposal for legislation aimed at preventing products causing deforestation or forest degradation from entering the EU market. The proposal targets commodities identified by the Commission as the main drivers of agricultural expansion leading to deforestation: soy, beef, palm oil, wood, cocoa, and coffee. The proposal lays down mandatory due diligence rules for companies wanting to place these commodities on the EU market. The proposed legislation also introduces a benchmarking system to assess countries and their level of risk of deforestation and forest degradation driven by the commodities in the scope of the regulation. The risk level assigned to each country through the benchmarking system (low, standard, or high) will determine the level of scrutiny applied to the relevant products it exports to the EU. The Members States and the European Parliament will now assess and amend the proposal and agree on a compromise legal text.
India remains undecided on genetically engineered (GE) crops, despite its regulatory authorities clearing on the environmental release of GE eggplant and mustard events. Bt cotton (Bacillus thuringiensis) is the only biotech crop approved for commercial cultivation. Soy and canola oils derived from select GE soy and canola events and some food ingredients from microbial biotechnology are approved for import. On August 24, 2021, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry authorized the precedent setting import of 1.2 million metric tons of crushed and de-oiled soy cakes (i.e., soybean meal) derived from GE soybean through October 31, 2021 (Notification 20/2015-2020). India is dragging its feet in clarifying that crushed de-oiled soy cakes, an older industry term, is equivalent to soybean meal. This development establishes something of a precedent for non-LMO imports, opening the possibility of market access for distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS), that are also derived from a GE crop (i.e., corn).
The COVID 19 pandemic in Malaysia saw most government agencies operating at minimum staffing with most working from home throughout 2020 and 2021. This has severely impacted the number of GE events approved by the National Biosafety Board (NBB). As of August 2021, 50 GE products have been approved for import and market release. This is an increase of 8 percent from the 46 products that were approved as of August 2020. Malaysia currently does not have any domestic production of plant biotechnology. However, the country continues to expand the number of approved genetically engineered (GE) products for commercial use. The Malaysian Ministry of Health established mandatory GE labeling guidelines in 2013, but they have yet to be enforced.
Since the start of COVID-19, Philippine consumers have incorporated more fresh fruit into their diet. Global exports of fresh fruits to the Philippines increased 36 percent to $695 million in 2020 and are forecast to grow five percent in 2021. U.S. exports, however, dropped 35 percent in 2020 to $32.5 million, due to ocean freight challenges which continue to persist. Traders are optimistic that once the pressure on the global supply chain eases, U.S. fresh fruit exports to the Philippines will bounce back to $50 million in annual sales. The Philippines grows a variety of tropical fruits and U.S. exporters are encouraged to look at counter-seasonal opportunities and fruits that are not widely grown in the Asia Pacific region.
In the current marketing year running from July 2021 to June 2022, Korea's fresh apple production and consumption are projected to rise by 13 percent after several years of gradual decline. Korea's apple production areas continue to shift further north and to higher elevations due to changing climate conditions. Korean phytosanitary regulations do not allow fresh apple imports, so the market is dominated by relatively high-cost domestic production and limited varieties.
Sri Lanka does not produce genetically engineered (GE) crops or animals. Some GE research, however, occurs at the laboratory level, but that research does not reach commercialization. The lack of a legal framework and proper biosafety procedures are a major setback. The country is in the process of developing regulatory biotechnology policies. Policies, however, remain at varying stages of development and implementation. Policies include the National Biotechnology Policy, the National Biosafety Framework (that includes the National Biosafety Policy and National Biosafety Act), as well as the Control of Import, Labeling and Sale of Genetically Modified Foods Regulation of 2006. Development of the National Biosafety Framework conforms to the country's commitments under the Cartagena Protocol (signed and ratified in 2004). The new legal framework for biosafety will become effective with the enactment of the National Biosafety Act, but that has been undergoing review for several years.
The Turkish cotton crop for Marketing Year (MY) 2021/22 is forecast at 450,000 hectares and 825,000 metric tons (MT; 3.79 million bales). Cotton consumption is expected to be 1,850,000 MT (8.50 million bales) for the same MY. Better than expected yields in the GAP region, and a smaller area affected by drought in the Aegean Region caused the increase of the cotton production estimate for MY 2021/22 compared to Post's previous report. High-capacity utilization rates in the industry due to increased normalization in target markets for textiles and ready-to-wear apparel caused the cotton consumption forecast to increase for MY 2021/22. The United States continues to be the largest cotton supplier to Turkey.
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