Specialty Crops (2022 and 2023) Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa Volume 2 • Subject Series • Part 9 AC-22-S-9 Issued August 2025 United States Department of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, Secretary National Agricultural Statistics Service Joe Parsons, Administrator Introduction HISTORY The 2022 Census of Agriculture Specialty Crop report for the Outlying Areas provides data that supplement the respective 2022 and 2023 Census of Agriculture, Volume 1, Geographic Area Series, Parts 52 through 56 publications (www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2022). This publication complies with Section 101 of the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 (7 U.S.C. §1621 note) and was amended under section 10010 of the Agricultural Act of 2014, Public Law 113-79 (the Farm Bill) which defines specialty crops as "fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and horticulture and nursery crops (including floriculture)." Eligible plants must be cultivated or managed and used by people for food, medicinal purposes, and/or aesthetic gratification to be considered specialty crops. This is the third time NASS has summarized and published the census of agriculture data for the outlying areas specialty crops and the second time the publication includes all five territories. USES OF CENSUS DATA Census statistics are used to measure agricultural production and to identify trends in an ever-changing agricultural sector. Many local programs use census data as a benchmark for designing and evaluating surveys. Private industry uses census statistics to provide a more effective production and distribution system for the agricultural community. One of the most important uses of the census data is to justify claims of farmers who may suffer damages and losses due to natural disasters, such as hurricanes or typhoons. LEGAL AUTHORITY The census of agriculture is required by law under the "Census of Agriculture Act of 1997," Public Law 105-113 (Title 7, United States Code, Section 2204g). The law directs the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a census of agriculture every fifth year, covering the prior year. The census of agriculture includes each State, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa. FARM DEFINITION The census definition of a farm varies among the Outlying Areas. For Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, it is the same as the fifty states - any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the census year. For Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the farm definition is any place from which $500 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the census year. For American Samoa, there is no sales requirement to be included in the agriculture census and data are collected for all households holding livestock and/or producing agricultural products for sale or family use. Commercial farms are defined as places with sales of $100 or more, and noncommercial farms are those with less than $100 in sales. Many of the commercial farms produce more for home consumption than for sale, but by virtue of having sales in excess of $100 are classified as commercial. DATA COMPARABILITY In general, the data from the 2022 census are comparable with those of previous censuses. All dollar values presented in this report are expressed in current dollars, i.e., 2022 data are in 2022 dollars. The dollar values have not been adjusted for changes in price levels between census years. A detailed discussion of changes is available for each territory: Puerto Rico: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2022/Full_Report/Outlying_Are as/Puerto_Rico/prv1.pdf Guam: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2022/Full_Report/Outlying_Are as/guam.pdf United States Virgin Islands: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2022/Full_Report/Outlying_Are as/usvi.pdf American Samoa: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2022/Full_Report/Outlying_Are as/AmericanSamoa.pdf Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2022/Full_Report/Outlying_Are as/cnmi.pdf REFERENCE PERIOD Crop production and sales are for the 12-month period as follows: For Puerto Rico the period is between January 1 and December 31, 2022. For Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa the period is between January 1 and December 31, 2023. TABLES Tables 1 through 5 show specialty crops by the number of farms, acres harvested, value of sales, and the percent of the total value of crop sales accounted for in each Outlying Area. RESPONDENT CONFIDENTIALITY In keeping with the provisions of Title 7 of the United States Code, no data are published that would disclose information about the operations of an individual farm or ranch. All tabulated data are subject to an extensive disclosure review prior to publication. Any tabulated item that identifies data reported by a respondent or allows a respondent's data to be accurately estimated or derived was suppressed and coded with a '(D)'. However, the number of farms reporting an item is not considered confidential information and is provided even though other information is withheld. ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS The following abbreviations and symbols are used throughout the tables: (D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual farms. (NA) Not available. Table 1. Specialty Crops - Puerto Rico: 2022 [For meaning of abbreviations and symbols, see introductory text.] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop : Farms1/ : Cuerdas harvested : Value of sales (dollars) : Percent of crop sales2/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All crops ........................................................: 5,206 364,610 353,469,422 100.0 : All specialty crops ..............................................: 4,780 63,413 262,544,172 74.3 Coffee3/ .......................................................: 2,449 18,961 18,164,509 5.1 Pineapples3/ ...................................................: 134 1,086 10,973,777 3.1 Plantains3/ ....................................................: 1,978 15,874 56,344,707 15.9 Bananas3/ ......................................................: 1,149 5,314 27,678,240 7.8 Pulse crops ....................................................: 246 376 583,036 0.2 : Root crops .....................................................: 857 2,193 8,974,700 2.5 Fruits and coconuts3/ ..........................................: 1,270 11,439 49,817,811 14.1 Vegetables .....................................................: 934 6,006 42,496,876 12.0 Nursery crops3/ ................................................: 376 2,164 47,510,516 13.4 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Data are for farms with sales of specialty crops. 2/ May not add due to rounding. 3/ Cuerdas in production. Table 2. Specialty Crops - Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: 2023 [For meaning of abbreviations and symbols, see introductory text.] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop : Farms : Acres1/ : Value of sales (dollars) : Percent of crop sales -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All crops ........................................................: 231 498 2,132,690 100.0 : All specialty crops ..............................................: 213 471 2,132,690 100.0 Root crops .....................................................: 84 94 413,715 19.4 Vegetables and melons ..........................................: 104 193 1,260,410 59.1 Fruits and nuts ................................................: 140 172 343,875 16.1 Nursery crops ..................................................: 22 13 114,690 5.4 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/Acres harvested for root crops and vegetables and melons. Acres in production for fruits and nuts and nursery crops. Table 3. Specialty Crops - Guam: 2023 [For meaning of abbreviations and symbols, see introductory text.] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop : Farms : Acres1/ : Value of sales (dollars) : Percent of crop sales -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All crops ........................................................: 571 1,373 5,363,591 100.0 : All specialty crops ..............................................: 499 1,094 5,363,591 100.0 Root crops .....................................................: 167 62 (D) (D) Vegetables and melons ..........................................: 327 500 2,636,157 49.1 Fruits and nuts ................................................: 359 513 (D) (D) Nursery crops ..................................................: 49 19 2,127,480 39.7 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/Acres harvested for root crops and vegetables and melons. Acres in production for fruits and nuts and nursery crops. Table 4. Specialty Crops - United States Virgin Islands: 2023 [For meaning of abbreviations and symbols, see introductory text.] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop : Farms : Acres1/ : Value of sales (dollars) : Percent of crop sales -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All crops ........................................................: 514 1,533 3,101,114 100.0 : All specialty crops2/ ............................................: 461 1,496 3,101,114 100.0 Field, forage, and root crops ..................................: 97 353 (D) (D) Vegetables .....................................................: 258 461 2,166,470 69.9 Fruits and nuts ................................................: 419 671 798,249 25.7 Nursery crops ..................................................: 44 12 (D) (D) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Acres harvested for root crops and vegetables and melons. Acres in production for fruits and nuts and nursery crops. 2/ Includes acres harvested from double cropping. Table 5. Specialty Crops - American Samoa: 2023 [For meaning of abbreviations and symbols, see introductory text.] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop : Farms : Acres1/ : Value of sales (dollars) : Percent of crop sales -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All crops ........................................................: 7,120 5,940 4,317,896 100.0 : All specialty crops ..............................................: 7,120 5,940 4,317,896 100.0 Root crops .....................................................: 5,453 2,607 1,550,029 35.9 Vegetables and melons ..........................................: 7,062 833 (D) (D) Fruits and nuts ................................................: 6,993 (NA) 1,734,832 40.2 Nursery crops ..................................................: 603 97 (D) (D) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/Acres harvested for root crops and vegetables and melons. Acres in production for fruits and nuts and nursery crops. Appendix Methodology and General Terms METHODOLOGY This publication is a special tabulation of data collected in the 2022 Puerto Rico Census of Agriculture and the 2023 Census of Agriculture for the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa. For a description of the methodology used in the census, refer to the respective 2022 and 2023 Census of Agriculture Volume 1 available for each territory: Puerto Rico: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2022/Full_Report/Outlying_Are as/Puerto_Rico/prv1.pdf Guam: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2022/Full_Report/Outlying_Are as/guam.pdf United States Virgin Islands: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2022/Full_Report/Outlying_Are as/usvi.pdf American Samoa: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2022/Full_Report/Outlying_Are as/AmericanSamoa.pdf Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2022/Full_Report/Outlying_Are as/cnmi.pdf TERMS AND DEFINITIONS The following definitions and explanations provide a detailed description of specific terms and phrases used in this publication. For more details relating to the census of agriculture program, go to the NASS website at https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2022 Acres and Cuerdas. Crops were reported in tenth acres for American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Crops were reported in cuerdas in Puerto Rico. One cuerda equals .971 of an acre. Totals for crops reported were rounded to whole acres or cuerdas at the aggregate level during the tabulation process. Nursery and greenhouse crops grown under glass or other protection were converted to acres or cuerdas for this report. If two or more crops were harvested from the same land during the year (double cropping), the acres or cuerdas were counted for each crop. Therefore, the sum of all the individual crops harvested generally exceeded the acres or cuerdas of harvested cropland. Cuerdas. One cuerda equals .971 of an acre. See acres and cuerdas for more information. Farms. The number of farms represents farms with sales of the specified crop, not necessarily the number of farms with areas in production. Field, forage and root crops. Commodities included in this category are cassava (tapioca), dry corn, hay, sugarcane, sweet potatoes, taniers, and yams. Fruits and nuts. Data are for total land in fruits and nuts. For Puerto Rico, this land excludes the area in coffee, pineapples, plantains, and bananas. That area is reported separately for those individual crops. For America Samoa, data for acres are not available; the number of trees were collected for each fruit and nut crop. Land in vegetables. Data are for the total land used for vegetable and melon crops. The acres or cuerdas were reported only once, even though two or more harvests of a vegetable or more than one vegetable were harvested from the same acres. Percent of crop sales. The value represents the share of the specified category of all crop sales (including both specialty and other crops). Pulse crops. Commodities included in this category are dry edible beans and pigeon peas. Root crops. Commodities included in this category are sweet potatoes, yams, ginger, root celery, taro (dasheen), giant taro, taniers, cassava (tapioca), and gado. Specialty crops. Included in this category are fruits, tree nuts, vegetables, sweet potatoes, melons, pulse crops, nursery, greenhouse, floriculture, root crops, tubers, and other specialty crops. Value of sales. Data included in this category for root crops, vegetables and melons, and fruits and nuts are the value of sales for all crops on farms with specialty crops in 2023 for Guam and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands. Data included in this category for field, forage, and root crops, vegetables, and fruits and nuts are the value of sales for all crops on farms with specialty crops in 2023 for the U.S. Virgin Islands. Data included in this category for nursery crops are the value of sales for all crops on farms with specialty crops in 2023 for American Samoa. Hemp is not a specialty crop. Individual sales data were collected for nursery crops in 2023 for Guam, the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and total sales data are the summation of all specialty crops. Individual sales data were collected for root crops, vegetables and melons, and fruits and nuts in 2023 for American Samoa, and total sales data are the summation of all crops. Individual sales data were collected for coffee, pineapples, plantains, bananas, pulse crops, root crops, fruits and coconuts, vegetables, and nursery crops in 2022 for Puerto Rico, and total sales data are the summation of all crops. The value of crops sold in 2022 and 2023 does not necessarily represent the sales from crops harvested in those years. Data may include sales from crops produced in earlier years and may exclude some crops produced in 2022 and 2023 but held in storage and not sold. The value of agricultural products sold was requested from all producers. If the producers failed to report this information, estimates were made based on the amount of crops harvested, livestock or poultry inventory, or number sold. Sales figures are expressed in current dollars and have not been adjusted for inflation or deflation.