Browse Data and Analysis

India is gearing up for a record wheat harvest in market year (MY) 2024/2025. FAS New Delhi (Post) forecasts India's wheat production at 112.5 million metric tons (MMT), thanks to the timely and record plantings of wheat, which benefitted from favorable weather conditions from the time of planting through the reproductive growth stages.

Post forecasts marketing year (MY) 2024/25 production at 0.91 million 480-lb bales, basically flat compared to MY 2023/24 due to high input costs, drought conditions, power outages, and lack of access to new genetically engineered seed varieties.

In 2023, Mexico imported $51 billion of food ingredient products, of which 63 percent were sourced from the United States. Mexico’s food processing industry is the second largest in Latin America, behind Brazil, making Mexico a top destination for U.S. food ingredients.

With expectations for no change in area, and assuming average yields, cotton production is forecast to decline in 2024/25. Given prospects for an increase in cotton textile exports, domestic use is forecast to increase in 2024/25.

On February 22, 2024, India’s Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying/Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, issued Office Memorandum File No. L-110109(3)/1/2016-Trade (E-2625) outlining the parameters for premium frozen duck meat for import into India.

The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka’s (Sri Lanka) Ministry of Health extended the implementation effective date of the Food (Trans Fat) Regulations (2022) from January 1, 2024 to January 1, 2025.

Lower feed prices are expected to boost producer profits in 2024, thereby increasing domestic beef and pork production. Beef imports are forecast to decrease, and pork imports are expected to remain nearly flat.

Despite economic challenges and high feed prices, demand for feed is expected to grow in Bangladesh as large commercial poultry farms expand their operations and some major feed producers have initiated contract poultry farming.

The outlook for Mexican grain production in marketing year (MY) 2024/2025 is higher year-on-year for corn, wheat, rice, and sorghum based on farmer planting decisions on more average weather conditions and a gradual recovery from exceptional drought conditions.

FAS India (New Delhi, Mumbai) (Post) is updating the earlier GAIN-INDIA | IN2020-0195 | FSSAI Publishes Regulations for Alcoholic Beverages report.

On February 29, 2024, India's Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoAFW) released its Indian crop year (ICY) 2023/2024 (July-June) Second Advance Estimate. The MoAFW is forecasting grain production (excluding the summer crop) lower at 309.3 million metric tons (MMT) compared to 313.6 MMT last year on expected lower production of rice, corn, and other coarse grains, while wheat and barley production is forecast higher at new record levels.

FAS New Delhi (Post) forecasts India's market year (MY) 2024 (January-December) cattle herd at 307.42 million head, up marginally from 307.4 million head in 2023. A gradual pace of growth is likely to persist in the short- to medium-term.