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Caribbean Basin > Aruba + Barbados + Cayman Islands + Curacao + Dominca + Grenada + Guyana + Saint Kitts and Nevis + Saint Vincent and the Grenadines + Saint Lucia + Trinidad and Tobago

Ghana is in economic recovery mode following the double hits of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak of 2020 and the macroeconomic crisis of 2022. The Ghanaian hotel-restaurant-institutional (HRI) sector is evidencing a promising upward trajectory.

Post forecasts production for marketing year (MY) 2024/25 at 0.89 million 480-lb bales, a similar level as in MY 2023/24. The planting area is expected to decrease due to farmers switching to more profitable crops, drought conditions, and limited access to water from dams.

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.

In marketing year (MY) 2024/25, due to favorable climatic conditions, avocado production is expected to total 200,000 metric tons (MT), representing a 33.3 percent increase from MY 2023/24. The area planted will total 33,010 hectares, reflecting a one percent growth from MY 2023/24.

Record-high remittances continue to boost consumer spending in 2024. U.S. agricultural exports to Nicaragua through September 2024 are up four percent compared to the same period in 2023.

MY2024/25 cotton area harvested for Senegal, Mali, and Burkina Faso is estimated to decrease 17 percent to 981,000 HA. This is mainly due to decreased planted area resulting from a late rainy season in all three countries, as well as civil conflict in Burkina Faso.

FAS/San José expects orange production to increase approximately 11 percent in marketing year (MY) 2024/25 to 250,000 metric tons. Production in MY 2023/24 was lower than previously expected at 225,000 metric tons as a result of erratic rainfall patterns associated with the El Niño weather phenomenon.

This report provides economic, market, and regulatory analysis for U.S. exporters looking to do business in Costa Rica, highlighting trends and offering a practical overview of the local market.

Discrepancies between the information provided on the export certificate and the information on the label of the package in U.S. dairy products is causing recurring detentions at the ports of entry in Chile.

Import permits for genetically engineered (GE) corn from the United States are once again issued by South Africa. After a mid-summer drought that caused a 22 percent drop in production, South Africa needs to import corn to supplement domestic production.

On July 26, 2016, Côte d’Ivoire enacted its national Biosafety Law No. 2016-553. This law establishes the groundwork for managing genetically engineered (GE) products.