Browse Data and Analysis

Spain is one of the world’s largest markets for fish and seafood. In 2024, it was the fourth largest importer of fish and seafood in the world - after much larger countries like the United States, China, and Japan.

In 2024, Spain imported $2.2 billion worth of agricultural, seafood and forest products from the United States. Following significant efforts to recover from the COVID-19 crisis, companies are once again facing a challenging environment that includes high production costs and economic and political uncertainties.

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.

For marketing year (MY) 2025/26, Post forecasts a slight increase in cotton imports due to increasing demand in the ready-made garments industry.

For marketing year (MY) 2025/26, Post forecasts lower rice imports than in MY 2024/25, assuming higher production based on favorable weather. Demand for wheat continues to increase and Post forecasts slightly higher imports for MY 2025/26 to align with demand.

The installation of Bangladesh’s Interim Government in August 2024, has led to a renewed focus on macroeconomic stability, which will enable increased exports to the market as restrictions on Letters of Credit ease as foreign currency reserves stabilize.

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.

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.

For the marketing year (MY) 2024/25, Post lowers rice harvested area and production to 11.4 million hectares and 36.6 million metric tons (MT), respectively, due to an estimated loss of around 300,000 hectares of aman season rice from two consecutive floods in August and October 2024.

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.

The hospitality industry in Spain continues to grow, driven by the surge in international visitors. Spain, already the world's second most-visited country behind France, is on track to have a record-breaking number of tourists in 2024, with estimates...