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Ukraine established a simplified procedure for temporary registration of genetically engineered cotton varieties only.

On February 19, 2024, India's Ministry of Finance (MoF)/Department of Revenue issued Notification No. 10/2024-Customs in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3, Subsection (i) (official gazette), lowering import duties levied on frozen turkey (meat) and edible offal, cranberries, and blueberries.

On February 19, the Government of India (GOI) published a notification that rescinded -effective February 20- the import duty of 10 percent for cotton with a staple length above 32 millimeters (mm).

The Canadian hemp sector continues to be driven by the food and nutrition markets, despite the 2018 regulatory changes that legalized recreational cannabis, and opened the potential for new markets for hemp-extracted cannabinoids.

The aim of this report is to inform potential U.S. exporters of cannabidiol (CBD) products about relevant import regulations and market opportunities in Japan.

On May 17, 2023 the Bangladesh Ministry of Agriculture published a special regulatory order amending the Plant Quarantine Rules 2018, thereby allowing the importation of U.S. cotton into Bangladesh without fumigation on-arrival.

On November 14, 2022, China notified a revised draft for the “National Standard of the People's Republic of China (PRC) Cotton—Saw Ginned Upland Cotton” to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee. The PRC requested WTO members submit comments in 60 days. This standard will replace GB 1103.1 - 2012 Cotton - Part 1: Saw Ginned Upland Cotton.

Effective February 1, 2023, Hong Kong will ban cannabidiol (CBD) products. The newly amended regulation will prohibit the manufacture, import, export, supply, sale, possession and transshipment of any products containing CBD in the city, regardless of quantity.

The following changes have been made to the 2022 FAIRS report: 1) Section II – Labeling. Effective December 1, 2023, food containing hydrogenated oils must be labeled. 2) Section III – Packaging. Glass and plastic bottles will be subject to additional levies. 3) Section VI – Other Requirements, Regulations, and Registration Measures.

On April 13, 2022, the Government of India rescinded its cotton import duty of 10 percent until September 30, 2022. This import duty consists of a five percent basic customs duty and a five percent Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess (AIDC), which has been reversed to “Nil” until the end of the Indian cotton marketing year (October/September).

The Ethiopian Sugar Corporation (ESC) and the Ethiopian Industrial Input Development Enterprise (EIIDE) have separately issued international competitive tenders to purchase 200,000 metric tons (MT) of white cane sugar and 10,000 MT of lint cotton, respectively.

While hemp has been grown in China for centuries, liberalization of production, processing, and use regulations have only come in recent years.