I didn’t know that beer and tequila could be considered agroexports, but I guess they can, given the raw materials they are made of.
Export sales of berries of all types amounted to $777 million for those months, outstripping $757 million for beer and $616 million for tequila. The single largest category was blueberries.
The fourth largest export in those months was tomatoes, valued at $574 million. Avocados came fifth, at $545 million, even though January and February are months of high consumption for the fruit in the U.S., particularly because of Super Bowl celebrations.
The berry industry is said to employ 500,000 nationwide in Mexico. But because of the high price for the fruit, it is beyond the reach of most Mexicans’ purchasing power, so it is grown principally for export.
One striking aspect of the rise in Latin American berry production is that U.S. producers have been relatively quiet about import competition. Although some small and medium-level growers still complain about imports, the industry overall has made no great objections.
The reason for this seems clear: U.S. berry producers have expanded across the border to ensure year-round supplies—an advantage not only for their own income but for customers, whose purchases are thereby simplified.
Indeed, the greatest revolution in the produce industry over the past two decades may well involve the rise of the year-round supplier.
I didn’t know that beer and tequila could be considered agroexports, but I guess they can, given the raw materials they are made of.
Export sales of berries of all types amounted to $777 million for those months, outstripping $757 million for beer and $616 million for tequila. The single largest category was blueberries.
The fourth largest export in those months was tomatoes, valued at $574 million. Avocados came fifth, at $545 million, even though January and February are months of high consumption for the fruit in the U.S., particularly because of Super Bowl celebrations.
The berry industry is said to employ 500,000 nationwide in Mexico. But because of the high price for the fruit, it is beyond the reach of most Mexicans’ purchasing power, so it is grown principally for export.
One striking aspect of the rise in Latin American berry production is that U.S. producers have been relatively quiet about import competition. Although some small and medium-level growers still complain about imports, the industry overall has made no great objections.
The reason for this seems clear: U.S. berry producers have expanded across the border to ensure year-round supplies—an advantage not only for their own income but for customers, whose purchases are thereby simplified.
Indeed, the greatest revolution in the produce industry over the past two decades may well involve the rise of the year-round supplier.
Richard Smoley, contributing editor for Blue Book Services, Inc., has more than 40 years of experience in magazine writing and editing, and is the former managing editor of California Farmer magazine. A graduate of Harvard and Oxford universities, he has published 12 books.