U.S. Mexican pepper imports fell by 8.5% in Q1

Imports of peppers into the U.S. from Mexico registered a year on year drop 8.5 percent in the first quarter of 2022, to $513 million.

Opportimes, using data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, reports that imports of Mexican peppers to the U.S. have shown an upward trend: 2018 $1.087 billion, 2019 $1.231 billion, 2020 $1.305 billion, and 2021 $1.511 billion.

Other suppliers of peppers to the U.S. during the first quarter of 2022 were a small fraction of Mexico: Canada ($12 million), Honduras ($5 million), and the Dominican Republic ($5 million).

Total foreign purchase from the U.S. in the first quarter of the current year totaled $514 million, a drop of 8.4 percent year on year.

This year, Mexico exports chiles and peppers to more than 40 countries, so the country’s ministry of agriculture recommends consolidation, diversification and maintaining export destination options in the event of a reduction in imports from the U.S.