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Imports' share of total domestic food consumption was relatively
low in the 1970s and 1980s, but that share is rising. Imports of
fish and shellfish, many fresh fruits and vegetables, fruit juices,
tree nuts, and salad and cooking oils account for particularly
large shares of domestic consumption. Many agricultural imports
with a large share of domestic consumption are products the United
States does not produce in large quantities, such as bananas or
coffee.
All U.S. agricultural import groups have continued to grow since
1990. By far the largest U.S. agricultural imports are
horticultural products, which since 2002 have accounted for about
half of all U.S. agricultural imports. Horticultural products
include fruits, vegetables, nuts, wine, malt beverages, and nursery
products. Much of these imports come from two leading suppliers,
Canada and Mexico. The North American Free Trade Agreement is
partly responsible for expansion of this type of trade between
Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Sugar and tropical-product imports have exceeded livestock and
livestock product imports since 2005. Most sugar and tropical
products-such as coffee, cocoa, and rubber-come from Indonesia,
Canada, Brazil, and Mexico. Animals and animal products are next in
importance among U.S. agricultural imports. Canada, Mexico, and
Oceania are large suppliers of animals and animal products to the
United States.
In the last decade, U.S. imports came primarily from Canada,
Mexico, the European Union, Australia, Brazil, and China. The top
import sources have varied little since 1990, but imports from the
European Union are slowing, while imports from Canada, Mexico, and
the rest of the Americas are increasing. Imports from China have
been rising steadily since 2001. (For data on top import sources,
see Top 15 U.S. import sources by
fiscal or
calendar
year.)
Sources of Growth in U.S. Agricultural
Imports
The value of U.S. agricultural imports has expanded since 2000,
with significant growth across bulk and high-value product
categories. Processed high-value products like coffee, wine, and
malt beverages continue to account for the largest share of U.S.
agriculture imports, although raw and semi-processed high-value
product imports like rubber and rapeseed oil are also registering
strong growth.
High-income countries have historically supplied most U.S.
agricultural imports, but with relatively strong growth in imports
from upper middle-income countries since 2000, high-income and
upper middle-income countries are now equally important suppliers
for the U.S. market. Since 2000, upper middle-income
countries have become increasingly important sources of U.S.
imports of raw and semi-processed high-value products. High-income
countries remain the most important source of U.S imports in the
largest agricultural import category of processed high-value
products.