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Since the early 2000s, U.S. consumers�� love for avocados has skyrocketed. We have it on toast, in guacamole, salads, sushi and more. With the looming threat of tariffs on agricultural products, the Hearst Television Data Team examined how this may impact the cost of imports.Tariffs act as trade barriers. They increase the cost for countries to bring products into the United States. They can also be a source of revenue for governments by taxing imported goods. Back then, the U.S. produced an average of about 400 million pounds of avocados each year, but production has slowly declined since the year 2011 as avocado acreage has decreased.Now, about 90% of all avocados eaten in the U.S. come from Mexico, totaling 2.35 billion pounds in imports for 2024 based on data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service (USDA ERS) as of January 2025.PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4KThe cost of bringing in this many avocados into the U.S. from Mexico totaled $3.42 billion in 2024, as reported by the United States International Trade Commission (USITC). This cost, called general customs value, includes cost, shipping, insurance, and taxes.Let’s break down the numbers for the cost of one avocado. An online search of national grocers showed that one avocado costs around $0.70 to $2.97, depending on size and location. Somewhere in the middle is $1.80, which can be used for this example.But tariffs don’t automatically mean prices will rise. Economists say three scenarios can come out of this hypothetical avocado.First, the grocery store keeps the price of the avocado the same and shoulders the cost of the tariff by reducing profit. Second, the grocery store will keep the profit and raise the cost of avocados it sells to consumers. Or third, the grocery store will stop buying avocados from Mexico and find a domestic supplier.From 2013 to 2023, the demand for agriculture imports have grown 5.8% due to the strong U.S. dollar and consumer preferences for year-round produce. Data from the USDA ERS for 2024 shows the U.S. imported $206.2 billion worth of agricultural products and exported $174.4 billion.Mexico is the largest supplier of agricultural products to the United States, providing 31% of imported horticultural products, including fruits, vegetables, and alcoholic beverages, according to USDA ERS data. The top imported agriculture good from Mexico in 2024 was beer made from malt. Canada ranks as the second-largest supplier of agricultural products to the U.S., with beef being the leading imported good in 2024.Italy is the largest producer of wine from fresh grapes, followed by France for yellowfin tuna, Chile for Pacific salmon, Brazil for coffee, China for tilapia, Indonesia and India for shrimp, and Australia for meat.Starting April 2, the Trump administration aims to impose reciprocal tariffs on imported goods, including agricultural products, to address imbalances in international trade. PHNjcmlwdCBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vdW5wa2cuY29tL2ludGVyc2VjdGlvbi1vYnNlcnZlckAwLjUuMS9pbnRlcnNlY3Rpb24tb2JzZXJ2ZXIuanMiPjwvc2NyaXB0PgoKPHNjcmlwdCBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vY2RuanMuY2xvdWRmbGFyZS5jb20vYWpheC9saWJzL3Njcm9sbGFtYS8zLjAuNC9zY3JvbGxhbWEubWluLmpzIj48L3NjcmlwdD4KCjxzY3JpcHQgc3JjPSJodHRwczovL2NkbmpzLmNsb3VkZmxhcmUuY29tL2FqYXgvbGlicy9kMy83LjMuMC9kMy5taW4uanMiPjwvc2NyaXB0Pg==