Browse Data and Analysis

Morocco is facing low wheat production in marketing year 2022/23 due to drought. The Ministry of Agriculture forecasts total wheat and barley production at 3.2 million metric tons, about 62 percent down from the previous year’s crop (10.2 million metric tons).

Post production estimates for tangerines/mandarins, oranges, lemons, and orange juice remain unchanged from the December 9, 2021 Annual Citrus Report. MY 2021/22 export figures are revised based on trade data.

Morocco notified G/SPS/N/MAR/85 on June 10, 2022. An unofficial translation is included in this report. Comments are due no later than August 9, 2022. The notification concerns plants, plant products and other objects.

In 2021, the total value of all retail food and beverage (F&B) sales in Japan totaled $467.20 billion, a 2.3 percent decrease over 2020 sales of $478.12 billion. Supermarkets continue to represent the bulk of the retail food market, accounting for 74 percent of the market, with convenience stores, drugstores and internet sales of food and beverages accounting for the rest of the market.

Morocco notified G/SPS/N/MAR/56/Add.3 on June 16, 2022. The notification publishes the final version of the draft sanitary document for export to Morocco of plants and plant products as well as food products that are not subject to mandatory veterinary certification.

A Tableau visualization comparing exports to the current top U.S. agricultural export markets since 1989.

The U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement (USJTA), which entered into force on January 1, 2020, improved market access for U.S. products through the creation of tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) for food wheat, wheat products, malt, processed cheese, whey, glucose and fructose, potato starch, corn starch, and inulin. In JFY 2021, allocation and fill rates of the TRQs continued to remain low.

Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) will add walnuts to list of allergens that product manufacturers and importers must include on the label of packaged products containing walnuts. Currently, CAA strongly recommends including walnuts on the label, but does not require their inclusion.

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) proposed revisions to Japan’s maximum residue levels for 9 agricultural chemicals (Etofenprox, Fenpyroximate, Florasulam, Fluensulfone, Tetraconazole, Cloxacillin, 1,2-Dichlorobenzene, Didecyldimethylammonium chloride, and Nicarbazin) for various agricultural commodities.

On June 2, 2022, the Government of Morocco suspended customs duties on sunflower, soybean, and rapeseed. This measure will take effect starting June 3, 2022 and continue until further notice. This decision is intended to protect citizens’ purchasing power in the face of rising global prices of various essential goods.

Morocco notified G/SPS/N/MAR/84 on May 12, 2022. An unofficial translation is included in this report. Comments are due no later than July 11, 2022. The notification concerns shelf life and storage temperature requirements for cheese and cheese products.