Florida Blueberry Industry Feels Crush of Coronavirus and Imports
October 23, 2020 The 2020 season was a tough one for the Florida blueberry industry, as the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic shut down the economy for weeks. This occurred right as Florida blueberry producers were coming into peak season. This unprecedented situation created extremely low demand for our product, which resulted in all-time-low prices for Florida blueberries.
In addition, Mexican blueberry production continued its increase in volume imported into the U.S. during the 2020 season. Mexico continues to increase its imported blueberries by large numbers year over year. This increase in foreign supply has also attributed to historically low pricing, which has led to many Florida blue-berry growers going out of business.
Typical budgets for Florida blueberry production consist of 50% to 70% labor costs. The average wage for Mexican workers is $12 per day, approximately 8% of what Florida producers pay their daily labor. U.S. labor, environmental, and food safety regulation are more strict and costly, adding to expenses for Florida growers. Additionally, the government of Mexico has subsidy programs to help offset costs for Mexican growers to establish farms.
The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement trade deal did nothing to help specialty crop growers in the U.S. The offices of the U.S. Trade Representative, USDA, and Department of Commerce recently held virtual hearings to discuss foreign trade practices that are harming American seasonal and perishable produce growers. Testimony was provided from many Florida producers and Florida industry leaders. There is hope that the government will take action to equalize the produce playing field, allowing for fair trade.
One benefit of the COVID-19 pandemic is that American consumers are becoming more aware of the importance of local farms and some of the issues that we face as an industry. This past year there was a huge outpouring of consumers buying local produce. Thus, all of us who make our livelihood in this industry need to continue to be vocal on the importance of supporting the American farmer.
Our food security as a nation is a national security issue. We cannot continue to import our food supply and allow for our domestic producers to go out of business. As consumers, we must #DemandAmericanGrown. And as farmers, we must continue to educate our fellow citizens on the importance of domestic production. The next generation must not be dependent on foreign countries to feed themselves.
Despite the trade inequities and economic pressures, the Florida blueberry industry continues to innovate. Many growers are reducing harvest labor cost by implementing mechanical harvesters. Historically, hand picking has been the harvest method of choice. New varieties are being evaluated and released by the University of Florida breeding program with an emphasis on machine harvesting.
Florida blueberry growers are trying to replace their older varieties with these new machine-harvestable varieties. This investment is expensive. And with such a steep increase in foreign fruit supplied during our market window, it is worrisome to those in the industry. As pricing continues to come under pressure from inexpensive foreign supply, there is a race to survive during these difficult times.
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