Browse Data and Analysis

The Caribbean Basin region continues to experience growth, driven primarily by the steady rise in tourism, which in turn impacts consumer demand.

Following the challenging corn crop in the 2024/25 marketing year due to severe drought conditions, Zimbabwe's corn production is projected to more than double in the 2025/26 marketing year, benefiting from more favorable weather conditions.

Major bulk commodities, as a share of total U.S. agricultural exports, have risen and fallen dramatically since 2020. Beyond short-term price volatilities that have largely driven these developments, changes to the largest overseas market and an increasingly competitive landscape also affect the prospect for major U.S. bulk exports.

FAS/Pretoria’s Sugar annual report provides information on the production, supply, and distribution of sugar in Zimbabwe for marketing year (MY) 2023/24, MY 2024/25, and MY 2025/26.

This report highlights the food processing industry, its drivers, key players, and market landscape in the Caribbean Basin. The region relies heavily on imports, and the United States is the largest supplier of food ingredients.

Zimbabwe’s production of its staple crop, corn, is expected to drop by almost 60 percent in marketing year 2024/25 due to extreme drought conditions associated with the El Niño weather phenomenon.

Cane production in Zimbabwe is forecast to increase in MY 2024/25, as major dams have sufficient volumes to supply irrigation water to cane-producing regions. Production will also be supported by carry-over cane due to the late start to the MY 2023/24 harvests after a contractual dispute between growers and millers.

Zimbabwe’s corn crop for marketing year 2023/24 is estimated at 1.5 million metric tons. This represents an increase of five percent from the previous marketing year’s crop, mainly due to a normal rainfall season in the northern parts of the country.

Post forecasts Zimbabwe’s sugar cane production will increase by 1 percent to 3.5 million metric tons (MT) in marketing year (MY) 2023/24 based on a return to normal weather conditions, the availability of sufficient irrigation water, and an increase in planted area.

The Black Sea region is a significant supplier of agricultural commodities to the world. Over the past year, global grain and oilseed markets have been roiled by the ongoing military conflict in Ukraine.

With international funding to develop and implement biosafety regulatory systems drying up in 2019, Caribbean biosafety regulatory efforts remain in idle mode. The region is seeking further funding from the United Nations Environmental Program/Global...

Executive Summary Global fertilizer prices are at near record levels and may remain elevated throughout 2022 and beyond. Fertilizer prices account for nearly one-fifth of U.S. farm cash costs, with an even greater share for corn and wheat producers...