U.S. FRUIT AND VEGETABLE IMPORTS

• This is a brief overview of the U.S. fruit and vegetable import situation in 1997
• The fresh fruit category accounts for about 20 percent of all U.S. horticultural product imports, while the fresh vegetable classification accounts for about 10 percent
• Although the United States has maintained a positive balance on fresh fruit trade, fresh vegetable trade is in deficit
• Both exports and imports of fruits and vegetables reached record levels in CY 1997

FIGURE 1.
LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES SUPPLY MOST
OF THE U.S. IMPORT MARKET FOR FRUITS

• U.S. imports of fresh fruits reached a record $2.5 billion in CY 1997
• Fruits from Central and South American countries continue to supply most of U.S. import demand for fruits
• Trade agreements, such as the Caribbean Basin Initiative, have improved overall U.S. fruit trade with Latin American countries
• Moreover, the fruit industries in many Latin American countries have continued to expand and have become far more organized and accustomed to U.S. regulations and market requirements

FIGURE 2.
TROPICAL FRUITS ACCOUNT FOR MORE THAN
50 PERCENT OF TOTAL U.S. FRUIT IMPORTS

• Tropical fruits, such as bananas, mangoes, and pineapples, account for the bulk of U.S. fruit import demand
• Bananas are by far the leading fruit imported. U.S. banana imports were valued at $1.1 billion in CY 1997, almost half the total value of fruit imports
• Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Honduras supply most of U.S. banana imports
• Besides bananas, grapes ($372 million) and melons ($230 million) continue to be other major import items
• Chile is the major supplier of fresh grapes, while Costa Rica is the largest supplier of melons

FIGURE 3.
MEXICO DOMINATES THE U.S. VEGETABLE IMPORT MARKET

• U.S. fresh vegetable imports reached $1.7 billion in CY 1997, practically unchanged from imports in CY 1996
• Mexico, at $1.2 billion, continues to be, by far, the dominant supplier of U.S. vegetable import demand
• Other important suppliers include Canada and the Netherlands

FIGURE 4.
TOMATOES LEAD U.S. VEGETABLE IMPORTS

• U.S. fresh tomato imports were valued at $649 million in CY 1997, down 4 percent from CY 1996, because of lower Mexican sales
• Mexico, at $517 million (down 11 percent), supplied about 80 percent of U.S. tomato import demand in 1997
• Besides tomatoes, U.S. vegetable imports consisted mostly of peppers ($198 million, up 16 percent), onions ($127 million, down 15 percent), and cucumbers ($101 million, down 21 percent)

FIGURE 5.
U.S. TRADE BALANCE IN FRESH FRUITS CONTINUES POSITIVE

• U.S. fresh fruit exports reached a record $2.1 billion in CY 1997
• Apples, table grapes, and pears comprised more than 60 percent of U.S. fresh fruit exports
• Excluding trade on noncompetitive items, such as bananas, the United States has maintained a surplus on fruit trade, which in CY 1997 reached $743 million
• U.S. fresh fruit imports also continue to increase

FIGURE 6.
U.S. TRADE BALANCE IN FRESH VEGETABLES CONTINUES NEGATIVE

• Contrary to trade in fresh fruits, the United States has maintained a deficit on fresh vegetable trade, which in CY 1997 decreased 14 percent to $593 million
• Nevertheless, U.S. fresh vegetable exports reached a record $1.1 billion in CY 1997
• Lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and broccoli are the major exported items, accounting for close to 50 percent of total U.S. fresh vegetable exports
• U.S. fresh vegetable imports flattened in 1997

Last modified: Thursday, April 06, 2000