In the last two years, ag imports grew by more than $10 billion. This year, USDA Chief Economist Seth Meyer predicts they will grow by $8 billion.
“You’ve got a couple of things which maybe are very price sensitive, market disruption sensitive. Coffee was a big contributor to the import value increase, but alternatively part of it was also horticulture, which has been just growing consistently over the long run, as we think about imports of fresh fruits and vegetables from overseas.”
Meyer says most of those imports are only produced in the U.S. seasonally, and others, like coffee, are not grown here at all.
