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On January 14, 2025, the Panamanian Food Agency (APA) and the Ministry of Health of Panama confirmed that the dairy plants registration process has been significantly expedited, resolving a trade barrier created on July 17, 2023.

The Philippines' private label grocery market is projected to reach $896 million in 2025, representing seven percent of total food and beverage grocery sales.

The Philippines operates a two-stage inspection process to clear imported agricultural products. Under the Department of Agriculture (DA) Administrative Circular No. 6 (2022), DA conducts a physical inspection at the port (first stage, known as the first border) and at the authorized premise or warehouse (second stage, known as the second border).

Although Panama highlighted the use of biotechnology in its Agricultural State Policy Law 352 of 2023, Panama has not yet established the implementing regulations of Law 48 of 2002, which created the National Commission of Biosafety for Genetically Modified Organisms.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act (R.A.) No. 12078 on December 9, 2024, which extended the implementation of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) until 2031.

The Philippine Food and Drug Administration (PFDA) reiterated its jurisdiction on the regulation of veterinary drug products. The PFDA clarified that it shall regulate finished products for therapeutic purposes for animals, including veterinary drugs, medicated feed products, and antimicrobials.

This report outlines how U.S. food and agriculture exporters engage with the hotel, restaurant, and institutional (HRI) sector in Panama. This sector plays a vital role in Panama's economy and is driven by international tourism.

FAS Manila forecasts lower milled rice production in Marketing Year (MY) 2024/25 compared to MY 2023/24 due to a series of weather disturbances. FAS Manila forecasts an increase in imports in MY 2024/25 to address reduced domestic production and increasing consumption attributed to population growth.

Reaching pre-pandemic levels in 2025, FAS Manila sees continued food service sales growth at 12 percent with the expansion of stores and customer queues in restaurants. As more consumers dine out, restaurant chains open new restaurants, cafes, kiosks...

The Philippines has been a pioneer within Asia in adopting biotechnology crops. On April 17, 2024, the Court of Appeals (CA) ruling on the Writ of Kalikasan revoked the biosafety permit for commercial propagation of golden rice and directed the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) to cease and desist from commercially propagating and conducting activities relating to Bt eggplant.

On October 4, 2024, the Philippine Department of Agriculture amended Department Order No. 16 (2024), removing mechanically deboned or separated meat of chicken (HS Code 0207.14.91) from the list of agricultural products subjected to a price-based special safeguard (SSG) measure. T

Post forecasts demand for dairy products to increase 2 percent to 3 million metric tons (MMT) in liquid milk equivalent (LME) in 2025.