Total U.S. tomato imports grew 9% in value and 4% in volume in 2018.
Trade statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture reveal that total U.S. tomato imports were $2.38 billion in 2018, up 9% from $2.17 billion in 2017.
Volume of tomato imports rose 4% in 2018, climbing from 1.79 million metric tons in 2017 to 1.86 million metric tons in 2018.
The number one supplier of imported tomatoes is Mexico, which accounted for 87% of the value of total U.S. tomato imports and 91% of imported tomato volume. By value, U.S. imports of Mexican tomatoes, at $2.06 billion, were up 12% from 2017, according to the USDA.
The volume of U.S. imports of Mexican tomatoes totaled 1.69 million metric tons in 2018, up 5% from 1.61 million metric tons in 2017.
On the other hand, U.S. imports of Canadian tomatoes declined 7% in value and 9% in volume in 2018. Canada is the number two supplier of imported tomatoes, accounting for 9% of imported tomato value and 8% of tomato volume.
The Dominican Republic and Guatemala are number three and four ranked tomato suppliers, but both represent less than 1% of value.
