Greenhouse bell pepper and tomato imports increased in 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service Situation and Outlook Report.
The U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census reported organic and greenhouse trade for some vegetables and pulse crops.
Some of the highlights included:
Greenhouse bell pepper import volume was up 6.2 million pounds, 1% higher than the previous year. Greenhouse bell pepper volume accounted for 59% of all fresh bell pepper imports in 2023. Monthly import volumes of greenhouse bell peppers stayed steady from January 2023 to February 2024. Red bell peppers accounted for 25% of volume.
Organic bell pepper import volume was up 5% in 2023, accounting for 6% of all fresh bell pepper imports. Greenhouse organic bell pepper imports accounted for 75% of the total organic bell pepper volume.
Greenhouse tomatoes import volume increased by 12% (298 million pounds) from the previous year, accounting for 65% of all fresh tomato imports. Import value for all organic fresh tomatoes was $223 million between January 2023 and February 2024. It was equivalent to 5% of total fresh tomato import value.