At the time, when shippers cut orders from global manufacturing partners had now expanded to a nationwide downturn in exports, the U.S. agricultural sector and top agricultural products, including soybeans, corn and beef, suffered the worst hit, which began a rapid decline in U.S. imports.

According to trade tracker Vizion, the latest trade data show that U.S. exports to the world glide, especially China began with most U.S. ports in January.

The agricultural sector has been warning of the “crisis” and port data shows more evidence of a lack of ability to transfer products to global markets. The Port of Oregon topped the list with a 51% reduction in exports, while the Port of Tacoma is a large agricultural export port, down 28%. The port's highest destinations for corn, soybeans and other agricultural exports include Japan, China and South Korea.

To date, some ports have reduced exports by only a small amount, such as the Port of Houston and the Port of Seattle, at 3% and 3.5%, respectively. But, according to Ben Tracy, Vizion’s vice president of strategic business development, “almost all of our exports have taken a hit.”

Trade data shows that the ports in Los Angeles fell by more than 17%, while the Port of Savannah (the highest port for U.S. exports of containerized agricultural goods in 2025) fell by 13%, and the ports in Norfolk fell by 12%.

The port of Oakland also plays an important role in exports, as the leading port for international refrigerated cargo. US agricultural exports also leave Los Angeles, Long Beach, New York/New Jersey, Houston and Seattle/Tacoma.

The export slides are linked to the decline in containers in the U.S. as businesses across the economy cancelled manufacturing orders, sent Chinese factories and freight ships into retreats, and changes in global demand related to U.S. trade policy. U.S. imports continue to decline, with port data tracked by Vizion showing that containers fell 43% each week from the week from April 21 to April 28.

“We haven’t seen anything like this since the disruption in the summer of 2020,” said Kyle Henderson, Vizion CEO. “This means that the items expected to arrive in the next six to eight weeks will not be at all. With the driving costs of tariffs being higher, small businesses are suspending orders. Products that once reliably moved are now twice as expensive, forcing importers to make tough decisions.”

"Lean" retail inventory future

Retailers have been urging consumers to buy sooner rather than later, and data from Bank of America Global Research suggests why this may be the right move. Its latest forecast suggests that inbound container ships at the port of Los Angeles will drop sharply in May, with trade disruptions leading to a 15%-20% reduction in U.S. containers imported from Asia in the coming weeks.

Bank of America warned in notes to customers that the ratio of retail inventory to monthly sales is not particularly high, while consumers have been buying ahead of schedule higher prices and lacking expectations for product choices.

According to a review of retail payments by U.S. Data Bank of America’s review of shipping and shipping companies’ retail payments, there was no big slope in inventory after the preload that occurred earlier this year, and supply disruptions could be imminent.

"We think retail inventory may actually look 'lean' in the coming months," Bank of America reported.

It found that many retailers only have one to two months of inventory sales, and any unforeseen demand or supply disruption can quickly affect what merchandise retailers can offer.

This is a critical time of the year during the holiday shopping season, and orders are usually placed. The tipping point of the supply chain (the holidays are successful or accidentally placed in a random place) is June.

“Retailers who lock in capacity now, especially in fast-moving sectors like toys, consumer electronics and fashion, will later provide themselves with runways without racing,” said Tim Robertson, CEO of DHL Global Expracing. “It’s about pushing for extra volume; it’s about sequential sorting processes – balancing ocean, air and intermodal options, building buffers for artificial or weather-related surprises, and using real-time data if transfers are needed.” He added: “Those brands that see June as a strategic deadline, rather than last-minute scramble, will be the ones who fill the shelves instead of chasing them when consumers start shopping in November.”

Captain Kipling Louttit, executive director of Southern California Marine Exchange, warned in a recent statement that ship arrivals and lighter container volumes to the U.S. will be converted into labor, trucks, trains and others in the supply chain who “will lose their jobs due to the decline in cargo.”

Louttit noted that in the last three days, only 14 ships arrived and only 10 were scheduled to arrive in the next three days. The "normal" activity level was 17 ships over a three-day period.

Hawaii-based freight lining operator and ship owner Matson lowered its 2025 outlook on Monday, citing tariffs, global trade regulation, the trajectory of the U.S. economy and other geopolitical issues.

Matson, which provides fast service from China to Long Beach, California, reports that the company's container volume has dropped by about 30% since the tariffs were imposed in April.

“Combined with the visibility of our container demand, we expect container volumes and average rates to be lower in the second quarter,” said Matt Cox, CEO of Matson. “At present, it is difficult to know whether these lower volume levels are short-lived or will last longer in 2025, and the duration of the lower demand period may depend on the active negotiations occurring throughout the supply chain, and the timing of potential amendments to tariffs.”

Cox said the company is working with Asian transshipment partners as its customers focus on diversifying and developing options for their manufacturing locations. “A few years ago, many of our customers moved to the ‘China Plus’ strategy to diversify their businesses, and we hope that this trend will continue,” he said. “We will continue to follow our customers to reposition and expand their manufacturing footprint to deal with changing tariffs as part of our ‘water catch basin’ strategy in Asia.”