San Diego’s new 2022 Crop Report shows that the county’s production rates were higher than last year at $1.78 billion; this marks a seven-year increase in the region.
We are starting to see recovery from the COVID-19 production decrease, with a 1.4% crop and commodity value increase, which translates to a $24 million increase.
Notable information from the report includes:
- San Diego County has the most “Nursery & Cut Flower” products in California and the state’s largest number of organic producers.
- The year 2022 was a good one for “Fruit & Nut” crops, which increased by 29% from approximately $237 million in 2021 to $306 million.
- Avocados, the most well-known crop of San Diego County, saw the most significant increase in value compared to any crop from 2021 to 2022, with a 48% increase from about $82.8 million to $123 million. This was due to better weather, according to the report.
- “Bedding Plants, Color & Perennials, Cacti & Succulents” remained the top crop in the county, bringing in a total of $445,359,543, which is 25% of the total value of agriculture production in the county!
- “Honey & Beeswax” saw an extraordinary percentage increase in value from 2021 to 2022, rising by 724%, from $79,023 to $651,295, as the apiary industry recovered from the impacts of drought. Honey production increased likely due to favorable weather conditions and increased forage.
- “Ornamental Trees & Shrubs” decreased from $382 million in 2021 to $375 million but still ranked No. 2 on the annual Top 10 crops grown in San Diego.
- The overall acreage used for commercial agriculture decreased from 219,874 acres in 2021 to 214,438 acres in 2022. It was a decrease of about 5,000 acres or 2.5%.
Overall, San Diego County saw some decreases due to the COVID-19 pandemic but is showing signs of a healthy recovery.