Inflation tame for banana imports
Compared with some other foods, inflation was nearly a no-show for banana imports in 2022.
The average value of all U.S. banana imports was $497.70 per metric ton in 2022, up 4% from 2021. That compares with a 15% per unit increase year over year for imported avocados and a 16% rise for imported citrus, according to the USDA.
Despite supply chain challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation in per unit banana costs has been restrained for several years, USDA trade statistics show.
The 2022 banana value of $497.50 per metric ton was up 5% from 2020, up 5% from 2019 and up 6% from 2018, according to the USDA.
By country of origin, the unit value for bananas in 2022 varied from a high of $1,169 per metric ton for bananas from Brazil to $240 per metric ton for bananas from Belize.
Here are 2022 metric ton banana values, by country of origin, with percentage change compared with 2021:
- World total: $497.50, up 4%.
- Brazil: $1,169.40, up 7%.
- Jamaica: $1,047.30, down 26%.
- Dominican Republic: $820.60, up 26%.
- Colombia: $605, up 6%.
- Costa Rica: $530.80, up 10%.
- Mexico: $527.10, up 6%.
- Peru: $500.40, down 9%.
- Honduras: $497.70, up 7%.
- Nicaragua: $495.80, up 12%.
- Guatemala: $474.50, up 2%.
- Ecuador: $467, up 2%.
- Panama: $432, down 2%.
- Belize: $240.20, up 11%.
