The U.S. Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Industry: An Overview of Production and Trade

Kuan-Ming Huang, Zhengfei Guan () and AbdelMalek Hammami
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Zhengfei Guan: Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Wimauma, FL 33598, USA
AbdelMalek Hammami: Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Wimauma, FL 33598, USA

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 10, 1-20

Abstract: The fruit and vegetable industry is an important segment of the U.S. agriculture. The 2017 U.S. Agriculture Census shows that the industry had total sales of USD 48 billion from over 10 million acres of land. However, over the last two decades, production of major fruit and vegetable crops in the United States has been declining while imports have grown significantly. The rapidly growing imports have posed challenges to the sustainability of the U.S. domestic industry. This study provides a systematic industry review of fresh fruit and vegetable production and trade between the United States and Mexico, by far the largest source of U.S. imports, highlighting the structural shift in the market over the last two decades and the caveats for industry sustainability. The analysis shows that Florida, Georgia, and California are among the states that face the strongest competition from Mexico. Among the 10 crops reviewed, berry, tomato, pepper, and cucumber production has been affected the most. The study further discusses the factors driving the rapid growth of imports and shows the importance of innovation and policy reform to the sustainability of the U.S. fruit and vegetable industry.

Keywords: trade; production; fruit and vegetables; fresh produce; harvesting window; industry sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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