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News Release 21-002
Inv. No(s). 332-584
Contact: Jennifer Andberg, 202-205-1819
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) today released its report concerning the effect of imports on the U.S. seasonal squash market, with a focus on the U.S. Southeast region.
The investigation, Squash: Effect of Imports on U.S. Seasonal Markets, with a Focus on the U.S. Southeast, was requested by the United States Trade Representative in a letter received on December 7, 2020.
As requested, the USITC, an independent, nonpartisan federal agency, assessed the effect of imports on the domestic seasonal market for squash, with a particular focus on production and competitiveness of squash grown in the U.S. Southeast.
As requested, the USITC, an independent, nonpartisan federal agency, assessed the effect of imports on the domestic seasonal market for squash, with a particular focus on production and competitiveness of squash grown in the U.S. Southeast.
The USITC findings include:
- Mexico is a highly competitive supplier of summer squash, with low costs, a reputation for consistently high product quality, and preferential packing and sorting.
- In the United States, geographic advantages help the competitiveness of the summer squash industry, while the relatively high costs of domestic squash production limit it. Both Mexico and the United States, including the U.S. Southeast, are reliable suppliers of squash in the U.S. market.
- Available price data show that prices for domestic and imported squash are often very similar and tend to follow largely the same trends.
- Absent above-average increases in U.S. imports of squash from Mexico between 2009 and 2019, the USITC’s economic model estimates that import prices would have been higher, leading to a shift towards consumption of domestic squash and increased U.S. production, revenue, and operating income in 2015–20.
Absent above-average increases in U.S. imports of squash from Mexico between 2009 and 2019, the USITC’s economic model estimates that import prices would have been higher, leading to a shift towards consumption of domestic squash and increased U.S. production, revenue, and operating income in 2015–20. Squash: Effect of Imports on U.S. Seasonal Markets, with a Focus on the U.S. Southeast (Investigation No. 332-584, USITC Publication 5269, December 2021) is available on the USITC's Internet site at https://www.usitc.gov/publications/332/pub5269.pdf. The modeling underlying the analyses associated with this report is available at https://www.usitc.gov/publications/332.
USITC general factfinding investigations, such as this one, cover matters related to tariffs or trade and are generally conducted at the request of the U.S. Trade Representative, the House Committee on Ways and Means, or the Senate Committee on Finance. The resulting report conveys the Commission's objective findings and independent analyses on the subjects investigated. The Commission makes no recommendations on policy or other matters in its general factfinding reports. Upon completion of each investigation, the USITC submits its findings and analyses to the requester. General factfinding investigation reports are subsequently released to the public, unless they are classified by the requester for national security reasons.