The U.S. tomato trade in 2018 leaned heavily toward imports over exports by a ratio of 20 to 1, the latest trade statistics show.
U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics reveals that U.S. total fresh tomato exports in 2018 totaled $112.3 million, down from 4% from both 2017 and 2016.
Canada was the top export market for U.S. tomatoes in 2018, accounting for 93% of all fresh tomato exports. Mexico and Japan were relatively minor customers for U.S. tomatoes, both accounting for less than 2% of total exports.
By contrast, imports of fresh tomatoes grew 9% in 2018 compared with 2017. The USDA reported imports of tomatoes totaled $2.38 billion in 2018, up 9% from $2.17 billion in 2017 and 5% higher from $2.26 billion in 2016.
Mexico was the number one global supplier of tomatoes to the U.S., representing 87% of the total import value in 2018. Canada supplied 12% of total U.S. tomato imports in 2018.
