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.

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.

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.

Guatemala’s imports of consumer-oriented products continue to grow, reaching $886 million in 2024, a 14 percent increase that surpassed imports of bulk and intermediate products by nearly 50 percent.

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.

This report includes technical requirements and export certificates for the export of food and agricultural products to Argentina. It complements the Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards Annual Country 2023 Report.

On May 20, 2025, the Argentine Government extended lower export tax on wheat and barley of 9.5 percent through March 2026. All the other commodities will return to their higher previous levels on July 1, 2025.

This report includes technical requirements and export certificates for the export of food and agricultural products to Argentina. It complements the Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards Annual Country 2024 Report.

Despite an anticipated increase in sugarcane production, Argentina’s sugar exports for marketing year (MY) 2025/26 are forecast to decline to 515,000 metric tons (raw value), driven by significantly lower beginning stocks and more favorable returns from ethanol production under the domestic biofuels blend mandate.

Guatemala’s coffee production areas remain stable, with gradual increases in output as ongoing renovation efforts begin to show results.