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The weak southwest monsoon in first half of June 2022 slowed ongoing plantings of the kharif (fall harvested) season crops. Plantings will recover under adequate soil moisture conditions with the revival of monsoon starting the third week of June, along with expected normal precipitation in July. On July 6, India's Ministry of Commerce and Industry notified authorizing the export of wheat flour and other products (Harmonized Tariff System - HS code 1101) only on the recommendation of Inter-Ministerial Committee on the Export of Wheat.

The enormous restraint on electricity generation and resulting power outages, locally known as load shedding, is emerging as a significant threat to South African agriculture. The cumulative hours of load shedding in the first seven months of 2022 already exceeds the annual record set in 2021.

The sharp upsurge in the cost of farming inputs for corn farmers in South Africa intensified the risk of production in a weather dependent industry, despite record-high commodity prices. As a result, Post forecasts that South Africa’s corn area will stay flat in marketing year 2022/23. However, South Africa should maintain its status as a net exporter of corn under normal weather conditions.

India’s food retail sector has rebounded from the COVID-19 pandemic and is expected to expand massively in the next decade thanks to rising incomes, urbanization, and a shift in consumption habits, fueling demand for healthy, premium food products. While traditional retailers continue to dominate the market, the country’s rapidly expanding e-commerce sector is distinguishing itself by offering high value imported food products and innovative services/convenience.

On June 24, 2022, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare/Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued Notification F. No. Std/SP-05/T (Nutraceutical-2022), the draft amendment regulation that the FSSAI is proposing for the Food Safety and Standards (Health Supplements, Nutraceuticals, Food for Special Dietary Use, Food for Special Medical Purpose, and Prebiotic and Probiotic Food) Regulations (2016).

On May 25, 2022, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare/Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued Notification F. No. STD/FA/38/FSSAI, draft amendments to the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) (2011) regulation. FSSAI published the draft amendment in the Gazette of India (official gazette) on May 26, 2022, uploading the same to its website on May 31, 2022.

The South African retail food sector is well-developed and continues to expand into other African countries. In 2021, South African retail food sales totaled $40 billion, a 0.2 percent increase from 2020 as the South African economy began to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On June 17, 2022, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare MoHFW)/Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued direction F. No: STD/SP_08/A1.2022/N-01-Part (1) to operationalize the draft Food Safety and Standards (Labeling and Display) Amendment Regulations (2022).