Browse Data and Analysis

The Bank of Ghana restricted access to foreign exchange for a select list of imported products, including rice, poultry, vegetable oils, and pasta, among other items, to implement a directive from the President of Ghana.

Ghana’s National Biosafety Authority has eventually given the green light for the environmental release and placement on the market of the pod borer resistant (PBR) or Bt. Cowpea.

The New Zealand Productivity Commission submitted a report to the Government of New Zealand recommending that a review should be done on regulation of genetic modification to ensure it is fit for purpose and supports domestic innovation. Other than that, there have been no recent significant official changes to the genetically engineered (GE) policies established by the New Zealand government.

The outlook for the 2022/23 apple season in New Zealand is much more optimistic with the opening of international borders following COVID-19 restrictions. While the last two apple harvests were severely impacted by the lack of labor, the return of overseas workers under the Recognized Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme is expected to help allow a recovery in production, with the forecast up 12 percent from the previous year’s estimated crop.

New Zealand milk production is forecasted to fall slightly in 2023. Although milk prices are at extremely high levels and expected to remain elevated, a number of issues are limiting the production response. This includes a slowly declining national herd, and also that on-farm inflation is expected to remain high as a result of the weak NZ dollar impacting imported input prices, as well as strong global fuel prices.

Marketing year (MY) 2022/23 palm kernel production is forecast at 62,000 metric tons (MT), down by about nine percent compared to Post’s MY2021/22 projection. This is mainly because of an annual three-month drought period (December-February) that negatively affects FFB yield, and consequently kernel yield.