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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.

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.

The New Zealand Productivity Commission submitted a report to the Government of New Zealand recommending that a review should be done on regulation of genetic modification to ensure it is fit for purpose and supports domestic innovation. Other than that, there have been no recent significant official changes to the genetically engineered (GE) policies established by the New Zealand government.

The outlook for the 2022/23 apple season in New Zealand is much more optimistic with the opening of international borders following COVID-19 restrictions. While the last two apple harvests were severely impacted by the lack of labor, the return of overseas workers under the Recognized Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme is expected to help allow a recovery in production, with the forecast up 12 percent from the previous year’s estimated crop.

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.

New Zealand milk production is forecasted to fall slightly in 2023. Although milk prices are at extremely high levels and expected to remain elevated, a number of issues are limiting the production response. This includes a slowly declining national herd, and also that on-farm inflation is expected to remain high as a result of the weak NZ dollar impacting imported input prices, as well as strong global fuel prices.