Browse Data and Analysis

Pakistan is the 21st largest export market for U.S. food and agricultural-related products, with U.S. exports surpassing $1.38 billion in 2020. The top U.S. exports to Pakistan were cotton, soybeans, pulses, tree nuts, dairy products, planting seeds, dairy cattle, and forestry products.

This report outlines Colombia´s food and beverage market conditions, resulting from changes in consumer habits and preferences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Colombia remains open to biotechnology and other innovative technologies. In 2020, Colombia's GE corn acreage grew 23 percent while GE cotton acreage declined 37 percent.

Cotton continues to be the only genetically engineered (GE) crop approved for cultivation and use. Regulatory uncertainty prevents life science companies from seeking approval for any other GE crops, and the National Biosafety Committee is still developing regulations on imports of GE commodities intended for food, feed, and processing.

In 2021, despite advantages offered through the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement (TPA), U.S. rice exports to Colombia have declined to just $5 million through July. The significantly lower exports to this market are a result of a larger Colombian crop and lower domestic prices, plus increased competition from South American exporters.

In marketing year (MY) 2021/22, Post's revised Colombian coffee production forecast is down to 13.8 million bags (1 bag = 60 kilograms) green bean equivalent (GBE), due to potentially heavy rains from the La Niña weather phenomena that is projected to materialize towards the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022

Due to excellent conditions during harvest, which followed a good growing season, seed cotton collection has progressed well, and deliveries to ginners are far out-pacing last year.

In MY 2021/22, Colombian corn, rice, and wheat demand are forecast to recover as Colombia returns to pre-pandemic economic growth levels.

The Hotel Restaurant Institutional (HRI) sector in Colombia is still rebuilding from the mandatory 6-month lockdown that caused serious economic damage across the sector.

On September 9, the Colombian government released a new resolution to decrease its ethanol blend level to four percent (E4), effective September 11. Incremental increases are scheduled in the following 90 days, culminating with E10 by January 2022.

Driven by more area and better yields, centrifugal sugar production in 2021/22 is forecast at 6.7 million tons, up 11 percent over the current year’s revised estimate.

This report is an annual update of the food import standards and enforcement mechanisms in Colombia.