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1990s: High-Performance Years for U.S. Consumer Food Exports--So Far
The 1990s have been hot years
for food trade--till now. In 1997, U.S. exports of consumer foods
reached $21 billion, up from $10.5 billion in 1990. This doubling
in value overshadowed the increases for bulk and intermediate
products, boosting consumer foods to 37% of total U.S.
agricultural exports. But last year’s meager 4% gain put on
the brakes after the double-digit annual growth of 1990-96--and
some clouds have settled in. There’s Japan’s sluggish
economy and the slowdown in sales of meats and other products
there, plus the stronger U.S. dollar and the reduced demand from
Korea and some formerly sizzling Southeast Asian markets. Though
robust sales to Canada and Mexico should help, the high-octane
export gains of the past will be difficult to sustain over the
next few years.
Red meats accounted for
around $4.5 billion or slightly more than a fifth of U.S.
consumer food exports in 1997. Poultry meat comprised another 12%
of sales, and fruits and vegetables--both fresh and
processed--more than 25%. Among markets, NAFTA-partner Canada
earned the No. 1 overall ranking, with U.S. sales at a record
$4.85 billion, while Japan slipped to second place. But Japan
took more than half of all U.S. red meat exports by value, with
Mexico and Canada second and third. Russia was our biggest
poultry meat market, followed by Hong Kong-China and Mexico.
Canada and Japan were the top customers for U.S. fresh fruit,
Japan and Canada for processed fruits and vegetables, Canada for
snacks and fresh vegetables, and the European Union for tree
nuts.
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