Browse Data and Analysis

South Africa boasts one of Africa's most developed and diverse economies, supported by a robust commercial sector and sophisticated distribution networks.

The Japanese food market was valued at $424 billion in 2023 with retail sales accounting for $198 billion (47 percent) and foodservice sales accounting for $226 billion (53 percent).

Germany has almost 84 million of the world’s wealthiest consumers and is by far the biggest market in the European Union. The German market offers good opportunities for U.S. exporters of consumer-oriented agricultural products.

On June 10, 2025, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) introduced an action plan to introduce E10 and E20 gasoline. As part of this plan, Japan aims to introduce a nationwide E10 gasoline option by 2030.

In 2024, Southern Africa faced a severe drought, leading to a significant decline in corn and soybean production, which caused rising food inflation and economic challenges.

Sales in Japan’s frozen food market have been increasing year by year, reaching a record high in 2023.

The Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) of Japan proposed revisions of Japan’s maximum residue levels for five agricultural chemicals (Esprocarb, Ethaboxam, Picarbutrazox, Polyoxorim zinc, and Trifloxystrobin) for various agricultural commodities.

The FAIRS Annual Country Report provides a comprehensive summary of the rules and regulations governing the import of food and agricultural products to South Africa.

This report has been updated to include the latest information relevant to exporting to South Africa. The Food and Agricultural Import Regulation and Standards (FAIRS) Certificate Report provides a comprehensive list of the main certificates required for exporting plants, animals, and animal products to South Africa.

The South African Department of Agriculture (DoA) reported several new positive cases of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in cattle in the KwaZulu Natal, Gauteng, and Mpumalanga provinces in April 2025. Following the announcement of the FMD outbreak, China suspended imports of cloven-hoofed animals and related products from South Africa.

The 2024 U.S. Agricultural Export Yearbook provides a statistical summary of U.S. agricultural commodity exports to the world during the 2024 calendar year.

In March 2025, ATO Tokyo organized a USA Pavilion at FOODEX Japan, one of the largest international trade-only food shows in Asia that provides a strong venue for U.S. food companies to find importers and increase distribution in Japan and other Asian markets.