The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has projected a more-than 50 percent increase in the value of imports of fresh fruits and vegetables over the next decade, according to a new report.

Imports are expected to grow from $23.9 billion in 2020 to $36.6 billion in 2030, the USDA said in the report 'Agricultural Projections to 2030'.

The fresh fruit and vegetable category is expected to drive growth of horticultural imports - including processed produce - from $66.9 billion to $99.7 billion over the same period - an average of 5 percent growth per year.

Horticultural imports over the next 10 years are forecast to be the fastest-growing of the entire agricultural import category.

Imports of processed fruits and vegetables are expected to grow by 34 percent from $11.3 billion in 2020 to $15.1 billion in 2030.