Monday, July 30, 2018

Trade Imbalance: Millennials To Blame

Here's your trade imbalance.

From the US Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service, July 30:

https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/charts/89676/us_avocado_net-01.png?v=43311

Per capita use of avocados has tripled since the beginning of the 2000s and now totals just over 7 pounds per person annually in the United States. In the 2017/18 marketing year, total domestic use, defined as net production plus imports minus stocks in cold storage, is projected to match the record high of 2.3 billion pounds set in 2015/16. The rise of the fruit’s availability reflects its growing popularity for use in foods like guacamole and in sandwiches. Increasing consumer awareness of the benefits of “healthy fats,” like the monounsaturated fats found in avocados, has also played a role in its growth. Domestically, avocados are grown in Florida (on average, over 16 percent of total), 
California (over 80 percent), and Hawaii (less than 1 percent), but net domestic production has not kept up with consumer demand. Nearly all of the growth in per capita use since the mid-2000s has been satisfied by imports, particularly from Mexico, which is the source of the vast majority of total import volume. Chile once supplied a majority of U.S. avocado imports, but it was surpassed by Mexico beginning in 2005. This chart appears in the ERS Fruit and Tree Nut Outlook report released in March 2018.

Meanwhile, in Ethiopia: "Millennials Kill the Purpose in Life"

From AllAfrica:

Millennials Kill the Purpose in Life 

Laziness and lack of realistic ambitions seem to be rampant among millennials. They have unrealistic goals and poor workplace culture. They spend much of their time on social media or watching movies and hope to lead their lives in ways that are similar to fictional characters or the virtualized versions of their peers.

They often struggle to discover who they want to be in life. Many lack skills to engage in a professional manner even during recruitment interviews. They demand management roles and above-average salaries for skills and experiences that they do not have.

Even entrepreneurship has been devalued. In its name, millennials spend unregulated time wasting valuable hours sitting around in cafes and restaurants....MORE
Eating avocado toast I bet.