Watch Now


Avocados, tomatoes dominate Texas imports

South Texas border ports of Pharr and Laredo lead US in tomato and avocado imports

Texas border crossings led the way for U.S. imports of Mexican avocados and tomatoes. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

The South Texas border crossings in Laredo and Pharr led the United States in imports of avocados and tomatoes from January through last Wednesday, according to data from the Department of Agriculture.

With 9,428 (40,000-pound) truckloads of avocados from Mexico, the Pharr port of entry has been the top international entry point for imports since January. Pharr is 18% ahead of last year’s total truckloads during the same period.

The Laredo port of entry totaled 7,992 truckloads of avocados from Mexico since January, 2.2% ahead of the same period in 2019.

The U.S-Mexico border crossing in Nogales, Arizona, was third with 209 truckloads of imported avocados from Mexico, down 20% compared to the same period last year.


The border crossing in Progresso, Texas, ranked fourth with 118 truckloads of avocados year-to-date, a 10% decline compared to last year.

Imports of fresh tomatoes from Mexico also ran heavy through South Texas, with Laredo accounting for 4,110 truckloads since January.

Pharr came in second for fresh tomato imports from Mexico with 2,409 truckloads.

The crossing in Otay Mesa, California, came in third with 347 truckloads and Nogales came in fourth with 109.


Click for more FreightWaves articles by Noi Mahoney.

More articles by Noi Mahoney

Walmart’s Mexican unit under investigation for antitrust practices

Nuvocargo targets Mexico growth with new hires

Truck-gobbling Missouri bridge a social media star

Noi Mahoney

Noi Mahoney is a Texas-based journalist who covers cross-border trade, logistics and supply chains for FreightWaves. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in English in 1998. Mahoney has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working for newspapers in Maryland and Texas. Contact nmahoney@freightwaves.com