Browse Data and Analysis

Post forecasts marketing year (MY) 2024/25 production at 0.91 million 480-lb bales, basically flat compared to MY 2023/24 due to high input costs, drought conditions, power outages, and lack of access to new genetically engineered seed varieties.

For MY 2024/25, Post estimates that wheat area harvested will total 195,000 hectares (ha), a 2.5 percent decrease from MY 2023/24 to due to high input costs and low prices. Wheat production will reach 1.17 million metric tons (MMT).

Guatemala continues to be a net importer of both yellow corn and rice. Corn area and production in MY2024/2025 are forecast to slightly increase to keep up with increased consumption for both food and feed; the avian sector keeps steady growth at 3-4 percent annually.

Vietnam’s economy is on the path to recovery. Post revises Vietnam’s MY2022/23 soybean meal consumption down to 5.65 MMT due to lower aquaculture feed consumption and forecasts an increase to 5.85 MMT in MY 2023/24.

On December 29, 2023, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) submitted two major reports related to climate change to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC): the Fourth National Communication on Climate Change (NC4) and the Third Biennial Update Report on Climate Change (BUR3).

In 2023, Mexico imported $51 billion of food ingredient products, of which 63 percent were sourced from the United States. Mexico’s food processing industry is the second largest in Latin America, behind Brazil, making Mexico a top destination for U.S. food ingredients.

The food processing industry represents the fourth-largest industry in Germany. According to the Federation of German Food and Drink Industries (BEV) estimates, Germany produced $238.9 (€ 218.5) billion of processed food and drinks in 2022.

Colombia’s food and beverage industry decreased by two percent in 2023 due to stagnating economic growth.

The Dominican Republic’s food processing industry totaled $2.91 billion for calendar year (CY) 2023 in activities categorized as “food industry,” while processed beverages and other products amounted to $2.68 billion over the same period.

Cotton production in Australia is set for a fourth successive year of high production in marketing year (MY) 2024/25, forecast at 5.5 million bales, which would be the third largest crop. The prospect of average rainfalls over the winter/spring period if realized would establish improved irrigation water availability for growers.

The regional harvested area for Marketing Year (MY) 2024/25 is forecast to rise 17 percent at 1.38 million hectares (MHA) compared to the previous year based on expectations of good farm gate prices and improved security and stability in many cotton-growing areas.

With expectations for no change in area, and assuming average yields, cotton production is forecast to decline in 2024/25. Given prospects for an increase in cotton textile exports, domestic use is forecast to increase in 2024/25.