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.

Romania, a member of the European Union (EU), observes the EU standards and regulations regarding biotechnology. Most farmers view biotechnology as an instrument in managing the agronomic risks and sustaining their competitiveness.

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.

Agriculture in North Macedonia is an important contributor to the economic and social development of the country. The country has a negative agricultural trade balance that has expanded lately due to constraints on domestic agricultural production, and increasing demand driven by improving consumer incomes and developing tourism, food service, and retail trade.

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.

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.

Romania continues to be a growing market for U.S. food and agriculture exports. Romania’s total resident population is 19.05 million people, which is a marginal increase from previous years, with about 48 percent living in rural areas (2023 data).

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.

In 2023, according to Romania’s National Institute of Statistics (NIS), Romania imported $211 million of U.S. food and agricultural products, up nearly 11 percent compared to 2022. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's bulk, intermediate, and consumer oriented (BICO), U.S. suppliers shipped $79 million worth of food and agricultural products to Romania in 2023.

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.