Browse Data and Analysis

The cotton production forecast for 2024/25 has been revised downward to 5.2 million bales, with the area unchanged at 2 million hectares.

In 2024, the Pakistan government issued revised Biosafety Rules and Regulations, creating a system to request genetically engineered (GE) commodity imports for food, feed, and processing (FFP). As of mid-October 2024, importers had submitted several applications to import GE soybeans for FFP.

With the outlook for the sugar industry largely unchanged from the previous report, no significant changes are made to the supply and demand tables.

No significant changes were made to the 2024/25 wheat supply and demand forecasts. Wheat imports and exports remain banned. The 2024/25 rice production forecast is unchanged at a record 10 million tons.

In 2023, French food and agricultural imports from the United States reached $1 billion. While exporting to France can be challenging, there are many opportunities for U.S. suppliers.

The 2024/25 cotton area estimate is revised downward to 2 million hectares due to a decrease in cultivation in key production areas of Punjab and Sindh. With the lower area, the production forecast is lowered to 5.55 million bales.

Pakistan is the 28th largest export market for U.S. food and agricultural-related products, with U.S. exports surpassing $930 million in 2023. The top U.S. exports to Pakistan were cotton, planting seeds, tree nuts, dairy products, pulses, and forestry products.

Reflecting recently released government of Pakistan official data, the 2024/25 wheat production estimate is increased to a record 31.4 million tons.

Zimbabwe’s production of its staple crop, corn, is expected to drop by almost 60 percent in marketing year 2024/25 due to extreme drought conditions associated with the El Niño weather phenomenon.

Cane production in Zimbabwe is forecast to increase in MY 2024/25, as major dams have sufficient volumes to supply irrigation water to cane-producing regions. Production will also be supported by carry-over cane due to the late start to the MY 2023/24 harvests after a contractual dispute between growers and millers.

Due to a slight increase in cane area and production, sugar production in 2024/25 is forecast to reach 6.8 million tons, 3 percent higher than 2023/24. In line with population growth and demand from the food processing sector, continued moderate growth in sugar consumption is forecast.

The French food processing industry mobilizes more than 19,000 companies, of which nearly 98 percent are small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). The sector generates $230 billion in annual revenue, and it indirectly contributes to nearly 2 million jobs in France.