The Latin American and Caribbean food industry has always been wide and vast, but recent geopolitical conflicts and supply chain disruptions have led to it becoming more important than ever on the global scale, as it has increased food exports to cover demand overseas. With an
that is expected to grow by over 35 percent in the next five years, the region is likely to play an increasingly important role in the global food supply.
An agricultural powerhouse
Thanks to the Latin American and the Caribbean’s varying climate and weather conditions as well as extensive land area,
agricultural production and exports play a key role in the region’s food industry. It is a leading producer of cereals, fruits and vegetables, sugar cane, and meat, and production is only growing due to increasing demand, both in the region and globally. Between 2012 and 2022,
cereal production increased by 45 percent,
fruit and
vegetable production increased by 14 percent and 16 percent, respectively, and
meat production increased by almost 20 percent.
A growing exporter
Demand for food exports from Latin America and the Caribbean has increased in recent years due to several reasons including the
war in Ukraine and the tense
trade relations between the United States and China. In 2022 and 2023, for instance, the
export value of all food and tobacco products from the region reached over 300 billion U.S. dollars. Fruit and vegetables make up the
largest food exports category, with over 60 billion U.S. dollars’ worth of exports.
Challenges to the food industry in the region
There are several challenges that the food industry in Latin America and the Caribbean faces. The
high inflation, for instance, has made
access to food more difficult, particularly healthy food. In December 2023, the
food consumer price index reached 777 points, the highest it has been in recent years. Climate change presents another challenge to food production, as extreme weather conditions affect crops growth and harvest. Political and economic instability in the region can also lead to disruptions at all levels of production, sales, and distribution. It is up to each country and their government to foster better working conditions, facilitate trade, and meet the needs of their people.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no
liability for the information given being complete or correct.
Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date
data than referenced in the text.
