According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, fresh vegetable imports continued to increase in 2021, compared to the previous three years.
Tomatoes’ import value in 2021 was approximately $2.1 billion, compared to $1.8 billion in 2018. Tomato imports were estimated at 3.2 billion pounds in 2021, compared to 3.1 billion in 2018.
Cucumbers’ value was $0.7 billion in 2021, compared to $0.5 billion in 2018. Cucumber imports were estimated at 1.7 billion pounds in 2021, compared to 1.5 billion in 2018.
Bell peppers were valued at $1.2 billion in 2021, compared to $0.9 billion in 2018. They were estimated at 1.4 billion pounds in imports in 2021, compared to 1.1 billion in 2018. But bell peppers increased by 11.2% from 2020 to 2021.
The most significant increase occurred in sweetpotatoes. Its import volume increased 360.7% from 2020 to 2021; 16 million pounds to 73 million pounds.
The import volume in lettuce was estimated at 686 million pounds, which is a 22% increase from its 2020 total of 560 million pounds.
Chile peppers experienced a 19.3% increase in volume from 2020 to 2021; bulb onions an 18.7% increase; asparagus a 12.3% increase and carrots a 10.7%.
All told, the volume of fresh market vegetables increased by 9.8% from 2020 to 2021.