Browse Data and Analysis

The Bank of Ghana restricted access to foreign exchange for a select list of imported products, including rice, poultry, vegetable oils, and pasta, among other items, to implement a directive from the President of Ghana.

Ghana’s National Biosafety Authority has eventually given the green light for the environmental release and placement on the market of the pod borer resistant (PBR) or Bt. Cowpea.

The Philippines is a regional biotechnology leader and the first country in the world to approve Golden Rice for commercial propagation. The Bt Eggplant biosafety permit was signed on October 17, 2022, allowing commercial propagation. Planting of Golden Rice has started since its approval in 2021, while Bt corn acceptance has grown with more than 600,000 hectares planted in 2021.

FY2022 agricultural exports reach record levels.

On October 18, 2022, The Government of the Philippines marked Bt eggplant as its third genetically engineered crop approved for commercial propagation, following Bt corn and Golden Rice.

Prospects for U.S. brewing ingredients remain strong amidst a robust local beer manufacturing industry. Beer is the most widely consumed alcoholic beverage in the Philippines, accounting for 72 percent of total alcohol consumption or 2.1 billion liters annually. Export prospects in the region are especially strong because of the country’s membership in various free trade agreements and its strategic location.

Marketing year (MY) 2022/23 palm kernel production is forecast at 62,000 metric tons (MT), down by about nine percent compared to Post’s MY2021/22 projection. This is mainly because of an annual three-month drought period (December-February) that negatively affects FFB yield, and consequently kernel yield.