New data from the Department of Agriculture shows the majority of watermelons consumed in the U.S. are produced domestically, but imports are growing rapidly. USDA says watermelon imports accounted for 1.5 billion pounds, or a third of domestic use in 2015, up from 11 percent in 2000 and seven percent in 1990. Part of the increase in imports can be attributed to the decline watermelon acreage in the United States. USDA says watermelon acreage has dropped near 50 percent in the last 25 years. However, increases in productivity from a greater use of irrigation and improved varieties helped keep annual production levels regularly above 3.5 billion pounds. U.S. watermelon consumption was estimated at 4.9 billion pounds in 2015. Watermelons can be grown in most parts of the United States, but do best in the South due to long growing seasons and consistently warm temperatures. Florida, Texas, California, Georgia and South Carolina accounted for 70 percent of U.S. production last year.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting news service.
From: USDA Economic Research Service
Imports supply about a third of U.S. watermelon consumption
The majority of watermelons consumed in the United States are produced domestically, but imports have grown rapidly in recent years. Watermelon acreage in the United States has declined by about 50 percent since the early 1990’s, but increases in productivity from a greater use of irrigation and improved varieties helped keep annual production levels above 3.5 billion pounds through most of the past 20 years. Watermelons can be grown in most parts of the United States but do best in the South due to long growing season and consistently warm temperatures. Florida, Texas, California, Georgia, and South Carolina account for over 70 percent of U.S. production. While domestic production has trended lower over the past five years, the U.S. appetite for watermelons has not. From 2010-15, watermelon domestic use has grown to an average 4.9 billion pounds annually, aided in part by four consecutive years of record-high imports, reaching 1.5 billion pounds in 2015. Watermelon imports continue to grow, and accounted for a third of domestic use in 2015, up from 11 percent in 2000 and 7 percent in 1990. Most watermelons imported to the United States come from Mexico, followed by Guatemala and Honduras. This chart is based on data found in the ERS’s report Fruit and Tree Nuts Outlook: March 2016.