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Continuing economic growth; increasing tourism; a healthy hotel, restaurant, and institutional sector; and a growing population will lead the UAE’s wheat and rice consumption to grow in the 2025-2026 marketing year (MY).

In 2024, the Dutch food processing industry continued to face challenges due to geopolitical tensions, market uncertainty, and rising raw material costs, all of which are causing price fluctuations.

This report provides information to U.S. exporters of agricultural and related products on how to do business with the Food Processing industry in Panama. It is primarily a service – based economy, but food processing is one of its top industries.

Between 2018 and 2024, U.S. exports of confectionery products have skyrocketed from $4 million to $28 million and exports of chocolate and cocoa product grown from $16 million to a record high $31 million.

This report describes the current trends and developments of the industrial hemp sector in the Netherlands. Key highlight include the Netherlands’ National Approach Biobased Building, a strategy for construction through which it aims to have 30 percent of all newly built houses and utility buildings constructed with at least 30 percent bio-based construction materials by 2030.

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 Netherlands, as a Member State of the European Union (EU), conforms to all EU regulations and directives. However, rules for the certification of imports are complicated and, in practice, are not always harmonized across EU Member States.

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.

This report is an addendum to the GAIN report number E42024-0031 EU Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards (FAIRS) Report, November 01, 2024.

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.

The United Arab Emirates, the Arab world's second-largest economy, will continue to offer growing and dynamic market opportunities for U.S. exporters in the food service--hotel, restaurant, and institutional sector through the end of 2024 and beyond.

The UAE promotes biotechnology through a research ecosystem focused on innovation. Notable advances center on plant biotechnology such as quinoa and salicornia, in addition to the date palm.