USDA Announces Growing Trade Deficit as Imports of Fruits & Vegetables Continue to Rise

Sep 13, 2024

By Emma Sauls

USDA announced last week that agricultural imports are expected to reach a record $212 billion in FY2025. Fueled in part by growing imports of fruits and vegetables, USDA now forecasts an agricultural trade deficit of over $30 billion for the year. The widening trade gap demonstrates a growing reliance on other countries for our fresh produce.

In August, Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff and Representative Sanford Bishop introduced the Protecting our Produce Act, a bicameral bill would establish a five-year pilot program to provide support for certain specialty crop producers — blueberries, squash, bell pepper, cucumber, or asparagus — when a crop’s national average market price (effective price) falls below its five-year average price (reference price), if the difference is caused by imports.

“GFVGA will be in Washington the next two weeks to meet with policy makers and to communicate the need for trade policy that can help level the playing field for Georgia Growers. The growing trade deficit demonstrates the need for a program that supports domestic producers before it’s too late and we become reliant on other countries for our fresh fruits and vegetables” said Chris Butts, GFVGA Executive V.P.

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Video: What Does 20 MILLION Hogs a Year Look Like?

?? The Multi-Plant System Processing 20 Million Hogs Annually in the Midwest JBS USA operates multiple large-scale pork processing facilities across the Midwest, including major plants in Iowa, Minnesota, and Indiana. Combined, these facilities have the capacity to process approximately 20 million hogs annually.

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Processing plants incorporate comprehensive food safety systems, including pathogen intervention technologies, rapid chilling processes, and integrated cold-chain management. USDA inspection is embedded throughout the harvest and fabrication stages to ensure regulatory compliance and product integrity. Finished pork products — from bulk primals to retail-ready packaged cuts — are distributed through coordinated logistics networks serving domestic and export markets.