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Effective April 18, 2022, Taiwan temporarily modified its restrictions on imports of poultry and poultry products from the United States and Canada impacted by Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). The modification allows imports of poultry and poultry products from banned U.S. states if the date of slaughter is 14 days or more before the applicable HPAI ban began.

The lobster market in Korea was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. In 2021, Korean lobster imports totaled 413.6 metric tons. The United States was the second largest supplier, holding a 7.7 percent market share by volume. Canada is the largest supplier.

On April 19, 2022, Taiwan notified the WTO of updates to its pesticide residue limits for foods and animal products. Attached to this report are tables containing the new or revised standards for 58 new chemical/crop combinations and 31 new chemical/animal combinations.

An increasing number of Korean customers are making values-based consumption decisions. Korean customers are willing to pay more for eco-friendly products.

The 2021 U.S. Agricultural Export Yearbook provides a statistical summary of U.S. agricultural commodity exports to the world.

MY2022/23 wheat production is forecast flat at 6,000 MT, unchanged from the previous two MYs. Australia recovered its market share thanks to drought recovery but the United States remains the chief supplier with 66 percent market share.

Korea has a strong food processing industry that manufactures a wide variety of food and beverage products. It also relies heavily on imports to fulfill its food and agricultural needs.

Korea’s overall demand for beef and pork in 2022 will remain steady and could improve in the second half of the year with a reopening of its restaurant sector. However, Covid-related restrictions continue to limit Korea’s Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional businesses where meat is heavily consumed.

Taiwan’s soybean imports are projected to reach 2.63 and 2.65 MMT in MY2021/22 and MY 2022/23. Soybean import demand will be buoyed by steady feed demand as well as exports and demand for soybean oil. In MY 2020/21, Taiwan’s COVID-19 control restrictions in Q2-Q3 had some negative impact on demand from the HRI sector, especially for soybean oil and palm oil which are favored in commercial use.

FAS/Seoul projects Korea’s corn imports and consumption to increase in 2022/23 to support anticipated growth in animal inventories, following an expected decrease in corn imports in 2021/22 due to the war in Ukraine. Korean wheat consumption in 2022/23 is forecast to decline 15 percent due to reduced feed wheat supply.

This report outlines the specific requirements for food and agricultural product imports into the Republic of South Korea. Updates to the 2022 FAIRS Report are included in Sections V, VI, VII and Appendix II.

This report includes technical information and certificate requirements for food and agricultural product exports to the Republic of South Korea.