GAIN Reports from Wednesday, December 29, 2021

The following GAIN reports were released on December 29, 2021. _______   Panama: Agricultural Biotechnology Annual Panama did not make any policy changes regulating Genetically Engineered (GE) plants, seeds and animals (including for GE microbes) in 2021. Panama has not established the implementing regulations of Law 48 of 2002, which created the National Commission of Biosafety for Genetically Modified Organisms. However, on September, 2021 the Government of Panama requested, through the Ministry of Agricultural Development, the technical assistance of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) to help them develop implementing regulations on biotechnology and new production technologies, in order to have clear procedures regarding the approval process and coordination among all of the competent government agencies in charge of authorizing the import, research, production and commercialization of agricultural biotechnology and other new production technologies in Panama.   Mexico: Agricultural Biotechnology Annual Mexico has not reported any official biotechnology food or feed products approvals since May 2018. Additionally, Mexico has rejected or delayed all permit applications for cultivation of genetically engineered (GE) cotton in 2019, citing the precautionary principle. Cotton is the only GE crop planted in Mexico, and while production reached a record in marketing year (MY) 2018/2019, the lack of updated seed availability coupled with additional challenges in the sector has significantly reduced production (approximately a 33 percent reduction) and quality. On January 1, 2021, a Decree entered into force calling for a phase-out glyphosate and GE corn by January 2024, and its replacement with sustainable and 'culturally appropriate' alternatives. Mexico is one of the world's largest importers of GE corn and soybeans, with 2020 imports reaching approximately U.S. $3.1 billion and U.S. $2.2 billion respectively, with supplies mainly from the United States.   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