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FAS Accra (Post) forecasts Ghana’s MY 2025/2026 (July-June) wheat imports at 1.0 million metric tons (MMT), up five percent from the MY 2024/2025 estimate of 950,000 MT.

While per capita grain consumption in Korea remains steady, or declining in the case of rice, increased manufacturing of K-food for exports drives total consumption, offsetting decreases in other sectors.

The Korean government revised its marketing year (MY) 2024/25 rice production estimate down to reflect a 2-percent yield reduction from extreme heat, untimely rains, and pest damage.

Ghana in 2024 has experienced drought-induced crop failures and low yields in eight out of its 16 administrative regions. FAS Accra (Post) consequently is revising up Market Year (MY) 2024/2025 import figures for wheat, corn, and rice due to reports of crop failures in some regions of the country and increased consumption.

Market share of U.S. corn in South Korea is expected to remain strong in MY 2024/25 after rebounding to 20 percent in MY 2023/24. Domestic rice production continues its slow decline as the government incentivizes farmers to switch to planting alternate crops.

Marketing Year (MY) 2024/25 rice production and consumption forecasts remain unchanged since the April 2024 Grain and Feed Annual Report. Post revised MY 2023/24 rice imports down based on the import tender fulfillment pace by the Korean government. Progress allocating the 2024 rice tariff rate quota (TRQ) has been favorable for the United States, but local distribution of imported U.S. table rice has not kept pace, as auctions remain suspended since November 2023.

The 2023 U.S. Agricultural Export Yearbook provides a statistical summary of U.S. agricultural commodity exports to the world during the 2023 calendar year.

The Korean government’s policy incentivizing farmers to replace rice acreage with other crops is the driving force behind record low rice planting and production projected in marketing year (MY) 2024/25.

Imports of wheat and rice are forecast up in MY2024/25 mainly because of increased consumption. Corn and rice production is expected to increase due to favorable weather conditions, adoption of improved seed varieties, and the implementation of the second phase of the Government of Ghana’s (GOG) farmer support program.

In the final month of 2023, Korea finally completed allocating its country specific quota (CSQ) for rice imports totaling 408,000 MT (milled basis) under its 2023 tariff rate quota (TRQ) scheme. However, with most tenders fulfilled in the second half...

On November 14, 2023, Statistics Korea (KOSTAT) released its final estimate of 2023 rice production at 3.7 million metric tons (MMT), up an additional 0.5 percent from the initial rice production estimates released in early October and down 1.6 percent overall from the prior year.

Rice production in Korea is forecast to be gradually down in marketing year (MY) 2023/24 on reduced acreage in response to government incentives encouraging farmers to switch to other grains, such as wheat and soybean.