Fresh Produce Imports Squeeze U.S. Farmers

ISSUES

Trade

TOPICS

Specialty Crops Trade

John Walt Boatright

Director, Government Affairs

Chad Smith

Associate News Service Editor, NAFB

photo credit: AFBF Photo, Kari Barbic

John Walt Boatright

Director, Government Affairs

Chad Smith

Associate News Service Editor, NAFB

The U.S. is importing more fruits and vegetables than ever before, putting a strain on already-squeezed growers. Chad Smith has the story.

Smith: During the past ten years, U.S. imports of fruits and vegetables have climbed significantly. John Walt Boatright, director of government affairs for the American Farm Bureau, said the numbers have climbed sharply since 2010.

Boatright: Over that period of time, we saw imports up actually since 2010 by 70 percent, so that's telling and concerning for several different reasons. The types of products being imported range from pineapples to commodities like citrus and berries that we produce in larger quantities.

Smith: He said one of the biggest factors behind the rising imports is higher production costs for those same products in the U.S.

Boatright: Rising expenses for specialty crop producers across a lot of different categories. Whether you're talking food safety regulation, you're talking labor costs, environmental regulation, cost prohibitions factor into greater reliance on imports from other countries.

Smith: The rise in fresh fruit and vegetable imports has put even more pressure on U.S. growers.

Boatright: Well, for commodities and products that are coming in during marketing windows, it directly undercuts those commodities in a lot of situations. And I think that's what our recent Market Intel shows in several different case studies around a lot of different fruits and vegetables.

Smith: You can read that Market Intel at fb.org. Chad Smith, Washington.

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