JAMAICA & DEP, April 12, 2004 -- Despite declines in real per capita consumption, the non-tourism segment of the Jamaican market continues to present opportunities for the consumption of high-value U.S. agricultural products. The strong recovery of Jamaica's tourism industry during 2002 and the positive outlook for 2004 and 2005 will present increased opportunity for U.S. food and beverages.

THAILAND, April 12, 2004 -- My 2005 cane production will likely continue to decline slightly due to unattractive returns, as the Royal Thai Government (RTG) is restricting the price supports. As a result, exportable supplies of sugar will likely be limited. The RTG is beginning to focus more on cane-based ethanol, but the policy remains under development.

INDONESIA, April 12, 2004 -- U.S. fresh fruit exports to Indonesia totaled $31,444 million in 2003, led by strong sales of apples and grapes, which accounted for more than 90 percent of the total. U.S. sales have rebounded since the 1998 financial crisis, but still face stiff competition from other suppliers, primarily China. Nonetheless, growth of modern retail outlets, strong consumer demand, and a favorable view of U.S. fruit will continue to ensure that Indonesia remains a firm market for U.S. apples and grapes.

CZECH REPUBLIC, April 12, 2004 -- In February 2004, the Czech Republic passed law 78/2004 on genetically modified organisms (GMO) replacing law 153/2000. The law officially came into force on February 25, 2004, and major changes include an easier approval process for contained use GMOs, as well as changes for the participation of civic associations in the approval process. In January 2004, the Ministry of Environment approved Monsanto's YieldGuard corn (MON810) for release on the market.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, April 12, 2004 -- The Dominican Republic is one of the main tourist destinations in the Caribbean region, with over 2.7 million tourist arrivals in 2003, up 20 percent from 2002. Total food consumption in the HRI sector is over US$1 billion. Around 45 percent of the total food and beverage consumption in the country is imported, with 50-55 percent of the import total coming from the United States. In spite of the country's current financial crisis, the outlook for U.S. food service product exports remains very positive.

SLOVENIA, April 12, 2004 -- On May 1, 2004, Slovenia will become a member of the European Union (EU), and all EU food rules, regulations, and laws will apply. This report provides information on the laws and regulations for food, food import rules, and contact information in Slovenia.

TURKEY, April 12, 2004 -- Turkey is expected to produce 14 MMT of sugar beets and nearly 2 MMT (raw value) of sugar in MY 2005. This is a significant increase over MY 2004 production of 12.5 MMT of beets and 1.9 MMT of raw sugar). The sugar beet procurement price for MY 2005 was announced for the first time prior to planting as TL 98,909 per kilogram (for 16 percent polar sugar content). One sugar factory was turned over to the Privatization Administration (PA) to be privatized last fall. Turkey is not expected to export any sugar in MY 2005 since the Treasury will not support these exports. Stocks are estimated to increase parallel to the projected increase in production.

COLOMBIA, April 12, 2004 -- Sugar production reached 2.63 million tons in 2002/03 and will rise slightly over the next two years. The growth in production and unusual level of sugar imports (88,000 tons in year 2002/03) resulted in a 20 percent increase in exports to 1.3 million tons. The GOC established a safeguard import quota of 35,000 tons for 2004. The government approved a tax exemption for 14 years for new areas planted. Sugar used for fuel alcohol will likely reduce sugar exports starting in the second half of 2005. Colombia and the U.S. will initiate free trade negotiations on May 18, 2004.

MEXICO, April 12, 2004 -- * LONG-AWAITED NATIONAL ACCORD REPORT ON NAFTA'S EFFECT ON MEXICAN AGRICULTURE CALLS FOR NO RENEGOTIATION * CAMPESINO GROUP CALLS FOR REVISION OF NAFTA *GIL DIAZ: U.S. ECONOMIC GROWTH WILL HELP MEXICO * NATIONAL SCIENCE ACADEMY URGES LOWER HOUSE TO APPROVE BIOSAFETY BILL * RISK FOR DOMESTIC CROPS BECAUSE OF IMPORTED TRANSGENIC CORN *THE BIOSAFETY LAW IS KEY FOR CORN IN MEXICO *UNIFRUT: DOMESTIC PRODUCTION THREATENED BY UNFAIR IMPORTED APPLES *MEXICAN ECONOMY REBOUNDS *USABIAGA AFFIRMS SUPPORT TO MEXICAN COUNTRYSIDE AMIDST DYNAMIC PERFORMANCE OF AGRICULTURAL SECTOR *MORE MEXICAN HASS AVOCADO FOR THE U.S. MARKET

THAILAND, April 12, 2004 -- My 2005 cane production will likely continue to decline slightly due to unattractive returns, as the Royal Thai Government (RTG) is restricting the price supports. As a result, exportable supplies of sugar will likely be limited. The RTG is beginning to focus more on cane-based ethanol, but the policy remains under development.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, April 12, 2004 -- Dominican sugar production is estimated at 505,000 Metric Tons Raw Value for the November 2003-October 2004 marketing year (MY 2004). Domestic sugar consumption is fairly stable at 320,000 MTRV and evenly divided between raw and refined consumption. The Dominican Republic is the largest holder of the U.S. tariff rate quota (TRQ) for sugar at 185,335 MTRV.