Browse Data and Analysis

Access to the benefits of modern agricultural biotechnology in the Caribbean Basin remains stifled by the unfinished work of implementing a science-based, risk-management approach to regulate its use.

In the Caribbean region, sales value in the retail grocery sector increased by 3 percent in 2023. This is due in part to the rise in tourism in many markets, which is boosting economic growth. The largest grocery retail markets are Trinidad and Tobago, Guadeloupe, and the Bahamas.

As tourists flock back to the Caribbean in larger numbers and island economies regain their footing after being challenged by global inflation, competition, and other headwinds, opportunities for U.S. suppliers are slowly emerging. While hurdles remain present on the horizon, U.S. suppliers are finding resilient Caribbean buyers to be excellent partners on the road to commercial success.

Greece’s MY 2023/24 cotton production is estimated at 970,000 bales, down 33 percent from the previous season due to significant rainstorms which caused widespread flooding in Central Greece in early September 2023.

Demand for U.S. consumer-oriented products in the Caribbean region reached $1.5 billion in 2022, a 26 percent gain compared to the previous year.

Over a dozen Caribbean countries are Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. With an aim toward meeting their obligations under this agreement, many have been working toward establishing their National Biosafety Frameworks for many years.

Sales in the Caribbean Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional (HRI) food service sector increased by 11 percent in 2022.

Sales in the Caribbean retail grocery sector decreased by 1.7 percent in 2022, primarily as the result of closing retail outlets in the French West Indies.

Greece’s MY 2022/23 cotton production is estimated at 1.30 million 480 lb. bales, down 10 percent from the previous season due to a decrease in area planted. Greece is a major cotton exporter. Turkey was the main destination in MY 2021/22, representing 58 percent of total exports.

The Caribbean’s rebound from the economic downturn induced by the COVID-19 pandemic has been slow. Anxious for better times, the region is looking ahead at 2023 and hoping for improved tourist arrivals that will spark a return to more robust economic growth.

This report provides updated contact information for Greece and gives an overview of Greek food laws in the EU context. It is recommended to read the EU-27 Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards, to obtain a fuller understanding of EU laws as Greece is a member of the European Union and follows its directives and regulations.

Greece, as a member of the European Union, follows EU directives and regulations. For information on EU export certificates, please see the Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards – Certificate Report prepared by the United States Mission to the EU in Brussels. For non-harmonized products, the competent Greek authority should be consulted as many issues are addressed on a case-by-case basis.