Lowered Vegetable Production in the US Will Continue to Drive Imports in 2023

Fresh Onion

Published Mar 2, 2023

According to the most recent USDA Vegetables 2022 Summary report, the three most important crops in the US, in terms of total production were tomatoes, onions, and sweet corn, accounting for 53% of total vegetable production. Tomato production in the United States fell 2% year on year to 225 million cwt, owing primarily to reduced planting areas and adverse weather. Despite a slight decrease in US imports in 2022, since 2019 onion imports have increased steadily, by 21.66% to 660,977.97 MT in 2022. Adverse weather conditions that affect vegetable production, combined with inflationary pressure will continue to drive US imports.

The US total production for vegetable and melon crops in 2022 was 658M cwt, a 2% YoY decline, while the harvested area in 2022 occupied 2.14M acres, a 5% decrease from 2021. Regarding the harvested area, the top three vegetables were sweet corn, tomatoes, and snap beans. In terms of total production, the three most important crops were tomatoes, onions, and sweet corn, which accounted for 53% of all vegetable production, according to the latest USDA vegetable report. Conversely, total US import quantities of fresh fruit and vegetables amounted to 22.1M MT, more than a 3% YoY increase.

Source: Tridge and USDA

Mexico accounts for slightly more than half of all imports into the United States. The import quantities of fresh fruit and vegetables from Mexico amounted to 11.4M MT in 2022, which was 2% higher than in 2021. Imports of Mexican products grew slightly faster than average in previous years.

Top 10 Trade flows of Imported Tomatoes

Source: Tridge

Tomatoes

Production of tomatoes in the US experienced a 2% YoY decrease to 225M cwt, mainly due to reduced planting areas and adverse weather. In California, extreme heat and drought influenced lower yield, while in Florida, early frost damage and floodings due to Hurricane Ian and Nicole hampered production. The majority of imported tomatoes come to the US from Mexico. More on the price movements of fresh tomatoes can be found in News & Insights and in the Analysis & Reports section.

Onions

Source: USDA and Tridge

Production of US onions totaled 64.4M cwt in 2022, which was a decline of 5% YoY. The main reasons for decreased production were similar to tomatoes: less planted area and adverse weather. Drought in some states delayed the harvest of onions, while high winds caused soil erosion in some fields. Despite that, quality was good to excellent, with a more significant caliber of onions on the market. Despite a slight decrease in the US Imports of onions in 2022, the trend of onion import shows a steady increase from 2019, with a 21.66% climb to 660,977.97 MT in 2022.

Adverse weather conditions causing decreased vegetable production will continue driving US imports. Import growth was most substantial for Mexico, which is forecast to remain the top supplier of agricultural products to the United States, followed by Canada and the EU.