WASHINGTON — Your mother told you to eat your vegetables. And it appears that Americans are finally taking their mothers’ advice to heart. The U.S. fresh vegetable industry should be poised for slow steady growth over the next 10 years, said U.S. Department of Agriculture economist Gary Lucier. The farm value of vegetables and melons will likely grow 20 percent to $25 billion, by 2021, Lucier said. However, Lucier also thinks imported fresh vegetables will grab a larger share of the U.S. market in the next 10 years – from one-fifth to one-fourth of vegetable sales. That’s because Americans will be more interested in variety, including more tropical vegetables and new varieties not easily grown in the U.S., he said. As per capita use grows, more of the growth be shared by domestic growers and import nations.
Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2 p.m.
