Browse Data and Analysis

On November 5, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare published a marketing year 2024/25 production forecast at the lowest level in five years, at 23.4 million 480 lb. bales on an area of 11.4 million hectares.

The cotton production forecast for 2024/25 has been revised downward to 5.2 million bales, with the area unchanged at 2 million hectares.

India’s 2025 beef production (mostly carabeef) is forecast to reach 4.64 million metric tons (MMT), up from 4.57 MMT in 2024, on steady domestic and increased export demand.

Sri Lanka’s agricultural biotechnology policies remain unchanged. Over the past year, there has been no progress in the approval of its draft Biosafety Act, which establishes a system to protect biodiversity, the environment and human, plant and animal health while minimizing the risks of biotechnology.

FAS Mumbai forecasts MY 2024/25 Indian raw cotton exports at 1.2 million 480 lb. bales, 55 percent lower than previous estimate, due to India lint prices trading four percent higher than global prices, prompting buyers to prefer finer quality machine-picked cotton from foreign origins.

Mozambique has begun to draft a Biotechnology Law that will allow GE commercialization. The country planted its first genetically engineered (GE) corn trial in 2017 to test drought and pest resistance.

Kazakhstan has not announced any changes to its biotechnology policies. Major challenges like climate change, variable weather, monocropping wheat, and the reliance on Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) member biotechnology regulations could be a future catalyst for Kazakhstan to develop its own biotechnology law.

All the sections of the report have been updated based on website links and contacts, as well as to comply with the updated reporting instructions. The report lists major certificates and permits required to export food and agricultural products from the United States to Mozambique.

The report summarizes Mozambique’s general food laws, regulatory authorities, major import/export procedures, food and packaging/labeling regulations, registration measures, and other trade facilitation issues. Contact information for major government regulatory agencies and a list of useful local public and private sector contacts for additional technical product-specific information and import assistance is provided at the end of the report.

On September 25, 2024, India’s Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoAFW) released final production estimates of major crops for Indian crop year (ICY) 2023/2024 (July-June). MoAFW estimated grain production at a record 332.3 million metric tons (MMT) due to record production of rice and wheat.

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.

In marketing year (MY) 2024/25, Post forecasts cotton acreage and production slightly lower at 45,000 hectares and 153,000 bales, due to heavy rain in some cotton growing districts during the seed sowing period. For MY 2024/25, Post also forecasts...