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This GAIN-INDIA report updates the FAS New Delhi (Post) GAIN-INDIA | IN2022-0086 | India’s FSSAI Requires Mandatory Registration of Foreign Food Manufacturing Facilities for the Import of Certain Categories of Foods report (October 24, 2022).

The March 2023 Essential Food Price Monitoring Report published by South Africa’s Competition Commission provided a deep dive into the poultry value chain.

South Africa has experienced an upsurge in oilseed plantings over the past 20 years with a near nine-fold expansion in soybean area. Post foresees that the positive trend in soybean plantings will continue in marketing year 2023/24 with area and oilseed production reaching historically high level of 1.8 million hectares and 3.6 million metric tons, respectively.

India’s oilseeds production in marketing year (MY) 2023/2024 (October-September) is forecast to remain flat at 41.5 million metric tons (MMT), mostly unchanged from MY 2022/2023. Unseasonably heavy spring precipitation and a predicted El Niño weather pattern in the wake of severe April-June heatwaves will expose summer oilseed crops to greater incidences of plant stresses and thus impact yields.

On March 31, 2023, India’s Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying/Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), published its integrated veterinary health certificate (VHC) for the import of milk and milk products into India.

On February 28, 2023, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare/Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) published Food Safety and Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Second Amendment Regulations (2023) in the Gazette of India (Notification No. STD/FA/A-1.30/No.1/2020-FSSAI).

The potential to introduce U.S. origin food processing ingredients into the Indian market remains strong, due to rising demand for snacking and consumer-oriented food products.

FAS Mumbai estimates marketing year (MY) 2023/24 India cotton production at 25.5 million 480 lb. bales on 12.4 million hectares area planted, a decrease from the previous year due to the expectation that farmers will shift cotton acreage to higher return crops such as oilseeds and pulses.

FAS New Delhi (Post) forecasts India’s market (MY) 2023/2024 (April-March) wheat production at 108 million metric tons (MMT) resulting from 31.9 million hectares.

South Africa is on course to produce a fourth consecutive bumper corn crop in MY 2022/23, which creates a bearish outlook on local corn prices and will limit growth in the area to be planted with corn in MY2023/24.

This report provides more information on the South African food processing sector, including strategies for U.S. exporters interested in entering the market.