Browse Data and Analysis

On November 4, 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) announced the issuance of 58 seed production and operational licenses, including 13 genetically engineered (GE) corn seed production and operational licenses.

On October 28, 2024, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) published a revised “National Standard for Seed of Food Crops – Part 1: Cereals”, which will come into effect on October 1, 2025.

Import permits for genetically engineered (GE) corn from the United States are once again issued by South Africa. After a mid-summer drought that caused a 22 percent drop in production, South Africa needs to import corn to supplement domestic production.

On October 8, 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) announced the registration of 30 genetically engineered (GE) corn and soy varieties, including 27 GE corn varieties and three GE soybean varieties.

Ukraine introduced procedures for the approval of minimum export prices for selected bulk commodities, including grains, oilseeds, vegetable oils and meals, walnuts, and honey.

In July 2024, falling global wheat prices triggered a wheat import duty of Rand 176.30 (USD 9.70) per metric ton for South Africa ending more than three years of duty-free imports. The higher import duty was introduced amid a 7 percent drop in wheat planted area for marketing year 2024/25.

On July 11, 2024, the government of Morocco adopted Order No. 2-23-557 dated May 14, 2024, establishing standards for the quality, health safety, and labeling of animal feed production. An unofficial translation is included in this report.

As of June 6, 2024, Turkiye has announced the suspension of wheat imports under the Inward Processing Regime from June 21-October 15, 2024. It also liberalized exports of milling wheat, durum wheat, and barley. In the same announcement, the Turkish Grain Board (TMO) announced new intervention prices for wheat and barley.

On June 4, a Costa Rican court restored the Chaves administration's policy of dramatically lower tariffs on imported milled and rough rice, overturning an earlier court ruling that reversed the lower tariffs in April 2024.

On May 8, 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) announced the issuance of new and renewed biosafety certificates for genetically engineered (GE) and gene-edited events.

The Brazilian Government announced the elimination of import taxes on paddy rice (100610), husked/brown rice (100620), and milled rice (100630) for all countries.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency published the finalized guidance document clarifying their position on novelty declarations and pre-market assessments for livestock feeds derived from crops developed through gene-editing.