{"id":393187,"date":"2026-07-31T07:35:24","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T07:35:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/393187\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T07:35:24","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T07:35:24","slug":"texas-am-study-finds-mexican-produce-through-texas-generates-26-billion-for-u-s-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/393187\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas A&M Study Finds Mexican Produce Through Texas Generates $26 Billion for U.S. Economy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Dante<\/a>Dante Galeazzi, President and CEO of the Texas International Produce Association (TIPA). File Image: Texas Border Business. Bgd for illustration purposes<\/p>\n

Texas Border Business<\/p>\n

Texas Border Business<\/p>\n

MISSION, Texas \u2014 \u201cTexas is America\u2019s produce gateway,\u201d said Dante Galeazzi, President and CEO of the Texas International Produce Association (TIPA). \u201cEvery shipment that crosses our border creates value far beyond the produce itself. It supports truck drivers, warehouse employees, customs brokers, wholesalers, retailers, grocery stores, restaurants, and thousands of American workers who keep fresh food moving from our ports of entry to dinner tables across the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

A new study by the Texas A&M University Center for North American Studies found that fresh produce imported from Mexico through Texas generated\u00a0$26 billion\u00a0in economic activity during 2025 while supporting nearly\u00a0140,000 American jobs. By 2033, researchers project that impact will grow to\u00a0$34.4 billion\u00a0and support\u00a0144,611 jobs\u00a0across Texas and the United States.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Feeding Americans Starts in Texas<\/p>\n

In 2025, Texas handled more than\u00a013.7 billion pounds\u00a0of fresh fruits and vegetables imported from Mexico\u2014approximately\u00a057%\u00a0of all fresh produce entering the United States from Mexico. That\u2019s enough fresh produce to provide roughly\u00a040 pounds for every American.<\/p>\n

Those shipments were valued at\u00a0$11.8 billion. The Pharr Port of Entry alone handled more than\u00a08.9 billion pounds\u00a0of fresh produce, making it the busiest produce bridge in the United States.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The study projects that by 2033, Texas will handle approximately\u00a018.6 billion pounds\u00a0of fresh produce imported from Mexico annually\u2014a\u00a036.2% increase\u00a0over current volumes\u2014representing\u00a058.2%\u00a0of all U.S. fresh produce imports from Mexico.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Steady Supply Helps Protect Consumers<\/p>\n

At a time when families continue to feel pressure at the supermarket checkout, fresh produce has avoided some of the sharp price increases seen in other grocery categories. USDA data show that average food-at-home prices rose\u00a02.3%\u00a0in 2025, while fresh vegetable prices declined\u00a00.4%. Fresh fruit prices also increased at a comparatively modest pace during much of the year.<\/p>\n

A dependable North American supply is part of that story. Production from Mexico augments U.S. growing seasons, fills weather-related and seasonal gaps, and gives retailers a broader, more predictable supply of fresh fruits and vegetables. That consistency allows growers, importers, distributors, and supermarkets to plan purchases and promotions with greater confidence, helping reduce sudden shortages and the price swings consumers can see at the cash register.\u00a0<\/p>\n

An Investment in American Jobs<\/p>\n

Across the four southwestern border states, fresh produce imported from Mexico generated\u00a0$39.5 billion\u00a0in U.S. economic activity during 2025. By 2033, that impact is projected to exceed\u00a0$51.5 billion, supporting more than\u00a0216,000 American jobs.<\/p>\n

Every shipment crossing the border creates additional economic activity long after it enters the United States, supporting American businesses that transport, store, inspect, market, distribute, and sell fresh produce to consumers nationwide.\u00a0<\/p>\n

USMCA Provides the Foundation<\/p>\n

\u201cConsumers are the ultimate beneficiaries of this partnership,\u201d Galeazzi said. \u201cMexico doesn\u2019t replace American agriculture\u2014it complements it. Our domestic growers remain the backbone of our food system, while Mexican production helps fill seasonal gaps and supplies products that many consumers have come to expect year-round. Together, they provide American families with more choices, greater availability, and a dependable supply of fresh fruits and vegetables.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the study specifically examines fresh produce imported from Mexico, it demonstrates the value created under the framework established by the\u00a0United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).<\/p>\n

\u201cThe USMCA provides the certainty that allows businesses to invest in ports of entry, cold storage, warehouses, transportation networks, and distribution facilities,\u201d Galeazzi said. \u201cWhen produce moves efficiently across our border, American workers, American businesses, and American consumers all benefit.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dante Galeazzi, President and CEO of the Texas International Produce Association (TIPA). File Image: Texas Border Business. Bgd…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":393188,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[138341,918,17270,138342,134657,1472,27,81353,29,62674,28,138343,16351,89844],"class_list":["post-393187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-dante-galeazzi","tag-economy","tag-international-trade","tag-mexican-produce","tag-mission-texas","tag-rio-grande-valley","tag-texas","tag-texas-border-business","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-international-produce-association-tipa","tag-texas-news","tag-texas-produce","tag-us-economy","tag-us-mexico-trade"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/393187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=393187"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/393187\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/393188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=393187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=393187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=393187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}