Demand for vegetables has slowed some from the 1980's, but it is still relative strong. The growth areas in the next few years will most likely be in the food service sector and exports. This includes such items as precut fresh vegetables which have been experiencing substantial gains. Also, ready-to-cook, especially microwavable vegetables, may be in a position to take off.

        Exports will be the major source of growth for U.S. horticulture, but will represent only a small portion of Geogia's production. Canada is the leading importer of U. S. and Georgia's fresh vegetables.

Vegetables are an important sector of Georgia's agriculture
        Vegetables account for the majority of Georgia's horticultural crops' income. Vegetable income ($476 million in 1997) ranks behind cotton ($709 million in 1997). In 1997, both trailed broiler's $2.3 billion. Vegetables accounted for 7.7 percent of Georgia cash receipts. Georgia is primarily a fresh market producing state. USDA data have Georgia third in acreage of fresh vegetables and fifth in income from fresh vegetables. USDA data do not include all vegetables grown in Georgia or the U. S. About two-thirds of Georgia's crops and about half of our acres are not included in the USDA estimates.

Leading Fresh Market vegetable States in 1999

Rank	Area Harvested*  -----------------------------                            Percent of  State                  Total	Production  -----------------------------                             Percent of  State                   of Total	Value  ------------------------------                           Percent of  State                 Total
1	CA                     43.7	CA                      48.7	CA                    53.4
2	FL                      10.0	FL                       10.3	FL                     15.1
3	GA                       6.5	AZ                         7.7	AZ                       6.6
4	AZ                        6.4	GA                        5.3	GA                      3.8
5	TX                        4.4	TX                         4.0	TX                       3.1

*Thousand Acres
 

        Fresh market acreage accounts for over 90 percent of Georgia's. Approximately 85 percent of all acres are irrigated. Crops harvested in the spring accounts for 80 percent of the acreage.

        Over thirty different vegetables are produced commercially. Watermelons are the top ranked commodity by acreage (35,000 acres). Thirteen different vegetables exceed 5,000 acres each. Twenty-two vegetable crops exceed 1,000 acres each.

Areas of Concern

        All of agriculture, but especially, the fruit and vegetable sectors will be faced with political and consumer concerns regarding food safety and the environment. If current trends continue, fewer and less effective chemicals will be available for production and post-harvest use. Growers will have to adapt new cultural practices that will hold costs in line with competition while still producing products that meet market requirements as to quality and "safety." The most difficult area for many growers may be in the marketing or post-harvest requirements. With fewer and less effective chemicals, new technologies may be needed to maintain the shelf-life quality that buyers demand. Consumer and political education may be necessary to assure that post-harvest treatments (such as irradiation) are not harmful.

        Labor availability and costs may become more of an issue. Immigration, legal and illegal, is coming to the forefront of political discussion. From this will probably come more laws or at least rules and regulations affecting the availability and costs of farm labor. The Georgia Vegetable Growers Association is actively working with labor officials and politicians trying to develop rules and regulations that work for all concerned.

Outlook

        The outlook for the next few years is for (1) slower, but continued, growth in production; (2) more adoptions of technologies that reduce costs per marketed unit; (3) coping with changes in rules and regulations relative to chemical and labor use; (4) and, increased competition from domestic and foreign sources.

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