Publication Number: 3738

Report Title:  Monitoring of U.S. Imports of Tomatoes

Investigation Number: 332-350

Author's name(s): Timothy P. McCarty

Date Published: November 2004

Report Description/Introductory Text: Section 316 of the North American Free-Trade Agreement Implementation Act (NAFTA Implementation Act), Public Law 103-182, requires the U.S. International Trade Commission (Commission) to monitor U.S. imports of “fresh or chilled tomatoes” until January 1, 2009. The purpose of this monitoring, as expressed in the NAFTA Implementation Act, is to permit the Commission to conduct an expedited investigation and, if appropriate, recommend to the President provisional relief should a petition for relief be filed under section 202 of the Trade Act of 1974 with respect to imports from all countries, or a petition requesting such relief be filed under section 302 of the NAFTA Implementation Act with respect to imports from Canada or Mexico. In response, the Commission instituted investigation No. 332-350, Monitoring of U.S. Imports of Tomatoes, under section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1332(g)).

This report, on the Commission’s monitoring investigation covering tomatoes for fresh-market use and for processing, contains statistical information gathered by the Commission on the U.S. tomato industry in the course of its monitoring. This information includes consumption and trade data (including U.S. imports and U.S. exports), and other industry data (including U.S. production data, cost-of-production estimates, product shipments, product quantities available at major shipping points, and average U.S. retail and shipping-point prices). The information presented in this report on the U.S. tomato industry was obtained from a number of publically-available sources and principally covers 1999-2003 data and partial-year data for 2003 and 2004.

Apparent U.S. consumption of fresh-market tomatoes has remained stable in recent years. U.S. production and exports trended downward, but imports rose dramatically from 2002 to 2003. U.S. imports remain significant relative to U.S. production and Mexico account’s for the bulk of imports each year. Florida and California remain the primary sources for U.S. fresh-market tomato production. Average U.S. retail prices of fresh-market tomatoes have trended upward in recent years and average shipping-point prices remained steady from 2002 to 2003. U.S. production of tomatoes for processing fell in 2003, U.S. imports also fell, but U.S. exports rose. California, Indiana, and Ohio have been the leading states producing tomatoes for processing in recent years.

Topics Covered: Tomatoes, fresh-market tomatoes, tomatoes for fresh market, processed tomatoes, tomatoes for processing, NAFTA, tomato production, tomato cost-of-production estimates, tomatoes at major shipping points, Florida tomato shipments, tomato average shipping-point prices, tomato imports, tomato exports, field-grown tomatoes, greenhouse-grown tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, roma tomatoes, tomato customs districts of entry

Countries: United States, Mexico, Canada, Netherlands, Spain

HTS Numbers: 0702.00, 0710.80, 0712.90.74-78, 2002.10, 2002.90

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