WASHINGTON: Though a land of great agricultural abundance, US imports of organic food are double organic food exports.
The Organic Trade Association shows that the US exported about $550 million in organic agricultural goods last year apples and lettuce are top organic exports while bringing in $1.2 billion in organic foodstuffs.
Coffee is by far the largest organic food import, and that makes sense given our thirst for coffee and the fact that just one state, Hawaii, can grow it.
US farmers are prolific soybean producers, but grow few organic beans. The organic soybeans are needed as feed for cows, chickens and other animals sold as organic meats or for chickens producing organic eggs. Organic soybean imports totaled $183 million last year. The U.S. also imported $35 million in organic corn as well.
The top suppliers of organic soybeans to the US are a bit surprising: India, China, Canada and Ukraine.
Agriculture overall remains a top export and a trade surplus for the US with more than $150 billion in products leaving the country and $112 billion coming in.
