Browse Data and Analysis

Uruguay’s corn production is forecast to reach a record 1.8 million tons, as favorable margins and low pest impact encourage a return to planting. Wheat exports are projected down to 750,000 tons due to reduced area and competition from more...

Uruguayan soybean production in marketing year (MY) 2025/26 is forecast at 3.1 million metric tons (MMT), slightly below the previous year’s record harvest due to a modest reduction in planted area as farmers shift some acreage back to corn.

This report highlights the food processing industry, its drivers, key players, and market landscape in the Caribbean Basin. The region relies heavily on imports, and the United States is the largest supplier of food ingredients.

The United States is a major trading partner with the Dominican Republic (DR). The DR is the largest economy in the Caribbean and the seventh-largest economy in Latin America. Since the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) went into effect for the DR in 2007, U.S. agricultural exports to the DR have increased from $1 billion in 2007 to $2 billion in 2024.

The Caribbean Basin region has a robust and competitive hotel/restaurant/institutional (HRI) sector. Tourism is a major economic driver, accounting for nearly 9 million visitors in 2023, almost 50 percent of which arrived from the United States...

Access to the benefits of modern agricultural biotechnology in the Caribbean Basin remains stifled by the unfinished work of implementing a science-based, risk-management approach to regulate its use.

In the Caribbean region, sales value in the retail grocery sector increased by 3 percent in 2023. This is due in part to the rise in tourism in many markets, which is boosting economic growth. The largest grocery retail markets are Trinidad and Tobago, Guadeloupe, and the Bahamas.

Central Asia is a diverse, important corner of the world and a growing market for U.S. goods. Agricultural imports from the world for Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Uzbekistan totaled $11.6 billion in 2023 and have nearly doubled over the last three years, with the United States as the 11th largest trade partner at $196 million.

Uruguayan beef exports in 2025 are forecast to remain unchanged at 475,000 tons carcass weight equivalent (cwe). The final volume will depend on how active Chinese buyers are the remainder of the year and FOB prices. Exports to the United States are projected to remain high.

As tourists flock back to the Caribbean in larger numbers and island economies regain their footing after being challenged by global inflation, competition, and other headwinds, opportunities for U.S. suppliers are slowly emerging. While hurdles remain present on the horizon, U.S. suppliers are finding resilient Caribbean buyers to be excellent partners on the road to commercial success.

Uruguayan wheat production in marketing year (MY) 2024/2025 is forecast at 1.3 million tons, 260,000 tons lower than the previous crop season which saw record high yields. Wheat exports are projected down at 800,000 tons, 29 percent lower than the previous year.

Post forecasts Uruguay’s marketing year (MY) 2024/25 soybean up to 3.4 million metric tons (MMT) on increased soy acreage planting, driven by increased acreage in second or late crop soy due to producers fears of another dry year of La Niña weather pattern and potential disease threat to corn, preferring soy over corn.