Fresh vegetable imports increased significantly over the past two decades.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service Situation and Outlook Report, the percent of availability accounted for by imports in fresh vegetable increased substantially from 2000 to 2023. In 2023, the import share of fresh-market availability was 35.2%, down from the peak of 35.4% in 2022 but more than twice as high as the 13.3% that was recorded in 2000.
From January 2024 through October 2024, imports of fresh market vegetables (excluding potatoes) increased by 0.1% year over year.
January-October import volumes for specific vegetables:
Sweet corn Import volume increased by 9.2% from a year earlier, reaching 181 million pounds. Shipments from Canada were up 328.4% from the same period last year. Mexican imports represent 93.7% of total imports over the last three years.
Tomato Import volume was 3.9 billion pounds, an increase of 3% from the prior year and the largest import volume on record for that period.
Squash Import volume was down 4% from January through October compared to the previous year. Zucchini accounted for about 45% of the volume.
Cucumber Import volume of cucumbers and gherkins increased less than 1% from a year earlier.
Cabbage Import volume reached 232.8 million. The U.S. imported nearly three times as much cabbage than it exported in 2021-23. Mexican imports represent 51%.
Sen. Jon Ossoff and Congressman Sanford D. Bishop Jr. (GA-02) met with Georgia specialty crop growers in late October to introduce the Protecting Our Produce Act, which will help Southeast farmers impacted by imports from South America.
The bicameral bill would establish a five-year pilot program to provide support for producers of blueberry, squash, bell pepper, cucumber and asparagus when that crop’s national average market price falls below its five-year average price (reference price) if the difference is caused by unfairly priced imports.