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In 2024, Brazil surpassed the United States in cotton production and exports for the first time on record. Brazil's MY2024/25 planted area is also estimated to reach a new record. Favorable prices compared to corn as well as lower production costs have boosted cotton's profitability, making it the preferred choice for second crop planting.

The Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional (HRI) sector is seeing signs of recovery in New Zealand (NZ). However, aches and pains still exist. Meanwhile, NZ continues to recover from a cost-of-living crisis, which sadly caused restaurants to close their doors.

Israel does not have a policy restricting the use of imported genetically engineered (GE) commodities or derivative products. There are no changes in Israel’s policy towards plant, animal biotechnology, and microbial biotechnology since 2023.

The beef sector in Israel is growing and is heavily reliant upon imports. Israel’s lack of grazing land for cattle and an increasing population are the main factors contributing to the growth in demand for beef imports.

Brazil’s MY 2024/25 total coffee production is forecast at 66.4 million bags, 0.2 percent higher than the previous season. This timid growth comes in the aftermath of a strong period of adverse weather conditions in the main producing regions, which led to a decrease in initial estimates for the season.

The New Zealand Government is in the final stages of amending its Climate Change Response Act 2002 to remove agriculture activities from the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme.

With over 2,500 facilities, the Israeli food processing sector is an important player in the domestic economy. In 2022, Israeli food processors' annual revenue stood at $23.19 billion.

Brazil is the second-largest producer of biotech crops in the world, with 131 events approved for plants. For the 2024/2025 crop season, FAS Brasilia forecasts 68.5 million hectares planted with GE traits. Adoption rates for soybeans and cotton reached 99 percent and for corn, 95 percent.

In New Zealand, genetically engineered (GE) products are regulated under the 1996 Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act (HSNO) and administered by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). On October 14, 2023, New Zealand held a general election, which resulted in a change in Government.

This report supplements GAIN report IS2-24-0020: Israel Adopts Additional European Union Standards for Agricultural Imports and includes translations of the documents from Hebrew to English referenced in the report.

New Zealand’s apple-planted area in the 2024/2025 market year (MY) is forecast to increase substantially to 11,100 hectares (ha) from the significant damage to farms due to Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023.

Post increased its estimate for soybean production in 2024/25 to 161 million metric tons (MMT), from the previous estimate of 160 MMT.