The American agricultural sector posted its best export year ever in 2022 with international sales of U.S. farm and food products reaching $196 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Final 2022 trade data released earlier this week by the Commerce Department shows that U.S. agricultural exports increased 11 percent, or $19.5 billion, from the previous record set in 2021.
The value of sales increased in all of the United States’ top 10 agricultural export markets – China, Mexico, Canada, Japan, the European Union, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Colombia and Vietnam, with sales in seven of the 10 markets (China, Mexico, Canada, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines and Colombia) setting new records.
The top commodities exported by the United States in 2022 were soybeans, corn, beef, dairy, cotton and tree nuts, which together comprised more than half of U.S. agricultural export value. International sales of many U.S. products – including soybeans, cotton, dairy, beef, ethanol, poultry, soybean meal, distilled spirits and distillers’ grains – reached record values.
“While we remain committed to our established customer base around the world, we are also setting our sights on new growth opportunities in places like Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Overall, there were 30 markets where U.S. exports exceeded $1 billion in 2022 – an increase from 27 markets in 2021 – demonstrating the broad global appeal of American-grown products,” according to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack.
Source: USDA
