Southeastern U.S. Specialty Crop Sector Competitiveness: Moving the Needle

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. 

The Southeastern specialty crop sector comprises hundreds of unique crops and growing situations, with the emergence of new or differentiated crops ongoing. While this creates opportunities for market development and response to consumers, it can create challenges for the development and commercialization of innovative technologies to lower costs.