Browse Data and Analysis

After the 2023 outbreak of bluetongue disease in Europe, the bluetongue virus (BTV-3) has now spread to three Nordic countries. Denmark encountered the first case of bluetongue disease on August 9, Norway on September 6, and Sweden on September 12.

The Norwegian Exporter Guide gives an overview for prospective U.S. exporters who would like to get acquainted with the Norwegian food retail and export market.

Central Asia is a diverse, important corner of the world and a growing market for U.S. goods. Agricultural imports from the world for Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Uzbekistan totaled $11.6 billion in 2023 and have nearly doubled over the last three years, with the United States as the 11th largest trade partner at $196 million.

On December 7, 2023, the Veterinary Service at the Ministry of Agriculture of the Kyrgyz Republic informed the U.S. Department of Agriculture in writing that they will no longer accept the U.S. Department of Agriculture's, Food Safety Inspection Service, 9060-5 Meat and Poultry Export Certificate of Wholesomeness. USDA is actively working to resolve this issue.

Since December 2022, rainfall across most of Iraq has been positive, expected to result in favorable yields and increased production for winter crops wheat and barley, with rice expected to rebound this summer for marketing year (MY) 2023/24.

On May 17, the Government of Iraq (GOI) announced higher purchase prices for locally-produced wheat in an effort to incentivize farmers to market their crop to the Ministry of Trade. On June 8, the GOI also passed a food security bill that allows the government to use public funds to meet urgent food needs, including issuing tenders to import wheat.

Continued drought and water shortages is affecting economic activities in Iraq, especially grain production in 2022. The Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture cut agricultural cropping in irrigated areas to 50 percent less than the previous year due to shortages in surface water.

An investigation conducted by the Norwegian Veterinary Institute (NVI) has confirmed that the strain of avian influenza that was detected in a laying hen population in Klepp municipality in Rogaland (a county in Western Norway) on November 11, 2021, was a highly pathogenic variant, more specifically H5N1.

This report contains summaries of relevant decisions and documents from the Armenia-Belarus-Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan-Russia Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) meetings, published between November 21, 2020, and July 22, 2021, that impact EAEU food and agriculture policy.

This report is an addendum to the GAIN report number E42020-0069, EU Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards (FAIRS) Report, dated October 14, 2020. It outlines Norway’s import requirements for food and agricultural products.

The Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture recently released its 2021 plans for total planted area of summer crops – corn and rice – following approval by the Ministry of Water Resources.

Effective April 15, Iraq’s Ministry of Agriculture issued a number of decisions to restrict the transshipment of wheat and barley inside Iraq to limit the entry of crops from unknown sources.