Browse Data and Analysis

FAS/San José expects sugar production in marketing year 2024/2025 to decline by seven percent to 394,000 metric tons (MT). Lower production is the result of adverse weather conditions during the development stage of the sugarcane, as well as during the early stages of the harvest.

Production for Jamaica sugar is projected to fall to 33,000 metric tons (MT) for marketing year (MY) October 2025 to September 2026, consistent with the ongoing downward trend observed in the industry.

Total Saudi wheat imports for 2025/26 are forecast to decline 10 percent to 3.2 million metric tons (MMT), due to projected high local production. Saudi barley imports for MY 2025/26 are projected to increase by 10 percent to 3.3 MMT compared to last MY.

Jamaica’s pork market is valued at an estimated $40 million per year. While domestic production meets household and retail demand, it falls short of supplying the total market.

The HRI sector is witnessing remarkable growth, fueled by urbanization, a surging population, rising disposable incomes, shifting social and cultural trends, and a thriving tourism industry. The Saudi food retail market, currently valued at $30 billion, is projected to grow by another $15 billion by 2030.

The hotel, restaurant, and institutional (HRI) sector in Jamaica continues to thrive, driven by a rapidly expanding tourism sector. In 2023, global agricultural exports to Jamaica slightly exceeded $1 billion with the United States supplying $606 million of that total.

The ongoing transformation of Saudi Arabia bodes well for the retail food sector. In 2023, the Saudi food retail market was estimated at more than $51 billion and projected to increase by more than 5 percent annually in the coming years due to the continued urbanization, growing population, changing shopping habits, expansion of physical store locations , and increasing popularity of online platforms.

FAS/San José expects orange production to increase approximately 11 percent in marketing year (MY) 2024/25 to 250,000 metric tons. Production in MY 2023/24 was lower than previously expected at 225,000 metric tons as a result of erratic rainfall patterns associated with the El Niño weather phenomenon.

This report provides economic, market, and regulatory analysis for U.S. exporters looking to do business in Costa Rica, highlighting trends and offering a practical overview of the local market.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) regulations allow the importation of biotech plant products, but they are required to be labeled if they contain more than one percent genetically engineered (GE) plant ingredients. As a result, many retail packaged food importers do not import biotech foods due to concerns that biotech labeling could jeopardize their image.

U.S. agricultural exports to Jamaica in 2023 totaled approximately $601 million, which makes the United States a key trading partner for the Caribbean nation. Currently, some U.S. exported livestock feed inputs and intermediate foods to Jamaica are produced using biotechnological methods.

Production of genetically engineered products (primarily cotton for seed and pink pineapples) is expected to increase in 2025 as new cotton events are expected to be approved by the National Technical Biosafety Commission.