Importance of Southeastern Ports for US Agricultural Exports

The US is the largest agricultural exporter in the world reaching almost $150 billion in 2020 and the Southeastern ports are very important to get those commodities overseas.  In 2020, a total of $62.3 billion were exported through the ports in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia.  Louisiana led the way with $25.6 billion in agricultural exports and its top five commodities exported were soybeans, corn, soybean cake, wheat, and DDG.  Exports from Florida and Texas ports seem to be the most diverse as their top five commodities exported accounted for 23.5 and 38.4 percent, respectively.  On the other hand, exports through Louisiana and Alabama ports seem to be more concentrated as their top five commodities accounted for 89.5 and 85.7 percent total ag exports, respectively.  The most common crops exported by these ports were cotton and soybeans, while the most common meats were frozen chicken and frozen pork.

importance of southeastern ports for US ag exports

Ribera, Luis. “Importance of Southeastern Ports for US Agricultural Exports.” Southern Ag Today 1(42.4). October 14, 2021. Permalink