By Suzanne Thornsbury
Fruit and vegetable sectors are important contributors to the U.S. agriculture economy. At the same time, they are particularly vulnerable to import competition and recorded a positive annual trade balance in just 18 of the 63 years between 1961 and 2023 (Figure 1).
From an economic perspective, sustainable market competitiveness (whether domestic or international) is driven by a combination of: (1) lower cost throughout the supply chain; (2) prioritized market access – earlier entrance to a market or better market intelligence; and (3) increased value to buyers – differentiated products that consumers can identify, want, and purchase.