Browse Data and Analysis

U.S. agricultural exporters of consumer-oriented products are well-positioned to increase sales to Guatemala. In 2023, U.S. consumer-oriented export values reached a third-consecutive record on 15 percent growth from the previous year (Figure 3).

New Zealand’s apple planted area in the 2023/2024 market year (MY) is forecast to be 9,200 hectares (ha), a substantial drop from 11,000 ha at the start of the 2022/2023 MY. This is due to the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle, which brought large-scale floodwaters, silt, debris, wind, and surface flooding to the primary apple growing regions of Hawkes Bay and Gisborne.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has approved a Queensland University of Technology (QUT) application to permit food derived from a banana line genetically engineered (GE) for resistance to Panama disease.

Vietnam offers abundant opportunities for exporting consumer-oriented products, despite the challenges of recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and dealing with high inflation. The Vietnamese economy is poised for significant expansion in the coming decades. With a burgeoning population and a growing middle class, Vietnamese consumers are becoming more discerning about the origin and composition of their food.

In marketing year (MY) 2023/24, higher than normal temperatures early in the winter and a slow accumulation of chilling hours caused a delay in the harvest, and subsequently a delay in export shipment, of most deciduous fruit.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency updated its labeling requirements for fresh grapes and the use of sulfur dioxide gas on fresh grapes during storage and transport – a result of the reclassification of sulfur dioxide when used under different scenarios.

Mexico’s 2024 avocado production is forecast at 2.77 million metric tons (MMT), a five percent increase over 2023 on strong export demand. Production in 2023 reached 2.65 MMT, up four percent compared to the previous year.

Following nearly exponential growth in the last decade, Peru's blueberry export volume fell in 2023 as a result of warmer weather conditions, especially in the principal production areas of northern Peru, which severely limited flowering between March and October.

Farmland in Hong Kong is limited. In 2022, local agricultural production (livestock and crops) yielded about $173 million worth of fresh food. Hence, Hong Kong relies on imports of fresh produce to feed its 7.3 million residents.

Australia is a crucial market for U.S. fresh fruits because of the year-round demand for high-quality products. The U.S. has benefitted from a well-established reputation for producing quality and safe fruits.

Mexico’s 2024 blueberry production is forecast at 81,000 MT, an eight percent increase over 2023 on sufficient water access and growing export demand. The rate of production growth is projected to be slower in 2024 compared to 2023 due to competition from Peru.

On December 25, 2023, Taiwan announced that U.S. cherries exported to Taiwan will undergo enhanced border inspection (20 – 50 percent inspection rate) from April 1 until September 30, 2024.