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On September 29, 2021, the General Directorate of Internal Tax (DGII) of the Dominican Republic (DR) issued Regulation 07-21 implementing the Fiscal Control and Traceability System for Alcoholic Beverages and Cigars (TRAFICO) to tackle illicit trade and tax evasion in the alcoholic beverage and cigarette sectors.

This report is intended to supplement the FAS U.S. Mission to the EU's Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards (FAIRS) report with Italy-specific information. Italy's FAIRS provides contact information for the competent authorities that are responsible for the import of animal, plant, fish, and food products into the Italian market.

This report is intended to supplement the FAS U.S. Mission to the EU's Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards (FAIRS) Certificate report with Italy-specific information. The U.S. export certification requirements for most products of animal and plant origin destined for the EU and Italy have been harmonized. The few products not yet harmonized are subject to Italian regulations which can be found in this report.

In July 2021, authorities detected African Swine Fever (ASF) in the Dominican Republic (DR). The disease, which rapidly spread throughout the country, crippled local swine production, but boosted export opportunities for U.S. swine meat producers to the Dominican market.

This report offers information for U.S. companies interested in exporting agri-food products to Italy, including an overview of the country's economic situation, market structure, export requirements, and best product export opportunities.

This report describes production, trade, research, policy, and marketing issues of genetically engineered (GE) plants, animal products, and microbial biotechnology in Italy. Despite Italy’s opposition to GE products, the Italian Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry Policies, along with leading farmers’ associations (Coldiretti, Confagricoltura, and Cia), agri-food industry players, and scientists have come forward in favor of innovative biotechnologies, such as genome editing.

The Dominican Republic continues to be a strong market for U.S. bulk agricultural products (e.g., corn), intermediate goods (e.g., Soybean meal), and high value consumer-oriented products (e.g., processed food products), reaching a total export value of $1.59 billion in 2021.

The Dominican Republic (DR) continues to ban and/or restrict U.S. poultry exports from states with any type of detection of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), regardless of the outbreak being reported as poultry or non-poultry.

Although exports of poultry to the Dominican Republic are on pace to set historic records in 2022, the United States continues to lose export market share from Brazil. As of June, 2022, the United States has accounted for 56 percent (22,074 MT) of total poultry exports to the DR (64,392 MT); Brazil has accounted for 44 percent (17,429 MT) of those exports after only accounting for 25 percent in 2021 and 0 percent in 2020 and prior.

For Marketing Year October 2022/September 2023 (MY 2022/23), Post forecasts overall sugar production in the Dominican Republic (DR) to increase to 630,000 metric tons (MT) due to favorable weather conditions. During MY 2021/22, total sugar production reached 625,391 MT, a 2 percent increase from MY 2020/21 due to favorable rainfall patterns that improved agricultural yields.

For 2022, robust tourism demand will be a key driver for economic growth in the Dominican Republic (DR). The World Tourism Organization recognized the Caribbean nation as its top-ranked country after its rapid recovery in tourism following the COVID-19 pandemic.

This report gives an overview of the food service – hotel, restaurant, and institutional sectors in Italy and outlines current market trends, including best product prospects. In 2021, Italy’s consumer food service value sales registered an increase of 23 percent compared to 2020 in spite of the lingering COVID-19 pandemic.