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South Africa is a significant market for American agricultural goods. Due to its expanding market, which supports the effective delivery of both imported and domestically produced agricultural products to major urban areas and the broader Southern Africa region, the country is a desirable location for businesses.

In marketing year (MY) 2022/23, FAS Cairo forecasts fresh orange exports to reach 1.7 million metric tons (MMT) up from 1.3 MMT in MY 2021/22.Post attributes the increase in exports to higher production amid favorable climate conditions.

The Namibian Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform appears to have issued a circular with new import and transshipment requirement for animal and animal products into and through Namibia that states that importers must obtain a Namibian Veterinary Import Permit or Namibian Veterinary Import Permit for Conveyance In-Transit for commodities aimed for use in Namibia or in-transit.

This report is an update to GAIN report number EG2022-0022. The report includes English translation of the National Food Safety Authority (NFSA) Decision of Board of Directors No. 6/2022 concerning the binding technical basis for maximum residue levels (MRLs) for chemical contaminants in food.

The area under citrus cultivation in South Africa has grown steadily over the past decade, driven by ongoing investments on relatively high earnings from export markets. As a result, South Africa is set for record citrus exports of 2.7 million tons in marketing year 2021/22.

In 2022, the Egyptian government announced that feed costs increased by 40 to 45 percent. Beef prices also increased by 15 to 20 percent, discouraging per capita consumption. Prices are expected to continue increasing in response to the ongoing devaluation of the Egyptian pound and complex import procedures. Imports of Indian water buffalo increased to reach 150 thousand MT, while Brazilian beef imports are still limited.

On October 28, 2022, Tongaat Hullet’s management announced that they opted to go into voluntary business rescue due to the company’s severe levels of financial distress. On Tuesday November 1, Tongaat Hullet missed the deadline to pay R401 million ($22.9 million) for cane delivered by 4,300 growers in September.

On November 9, 2022, The International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (ITAC) announced the initiation of the sunset review of anti-dumping duties (ADDs) of frozen bone-in portions of poultry from the United States.

Egypt requires a biosafety legal framework. Without one, the country cannot move forward in the area of agricultural biotechnology. The absence of a legal framework impedes field trials, as well as the commercial use of genetically engineered (GE) crops.

South Africa has robust and experienced regulatory system for genetically engineered products, which started with the publication of the “GMO” Act of 1997. Today, South Africa is amongst the top-10 largest producers of GE crops in the world and has approved 27 GE plant events for commercial production contained in three commodities, namely, corn, soybeans, and cotton. South Africa’s corn yields doubled over the past 20 years, while soybean production improved 10-fold.

Post forecasts that South Africa’s corn area will stay flat in marketing year 2022/23. The current high input cost environment and an upsurge in soybean plantings are deterring any bullish outlook in expanding corn area, despite record high commodity prices and three consecutive bumper crops. Higher farming input costs are escalating the risk of production in a weather-dependent industry.

In 2022, industries report a 35 to 40 percent increase in cultivation costs to reach almost $28,000 per hectare. The increase in costs is due to the challenges of US dollar liquidity and high inflation. In MY 2022/2021, production is expected to reach 1.48 MMT and exports are forecasted at 180,000 MT. In 2022, Egypt added Sri-Lanka and Cameron to the list of importing countries.