U.S. Agriculture Exports 2013 Fiscal Year Reaches Historical High
By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has forecasted that they will export $143.5 billion worth of agriculture goods in the 2013, setting an all-time record high; and the combination of higher prices for major commodities such as corn and wheat have pushed the forecast above the past three year’s record export highs.
“Even with tough odds due to extreme weather, U.S. agriculture is now poised for three consecutive years of record exports, smashing all previous records and putting America’s agricultural sector on pace to achieve President Obama’s goal under the National Export Initiative of doubling exports by the end of 2014. These exports will support more than 1 million jobs in communities across the country,” said Tom Vilsack, U.S. Agriculture Secretary.
In conjunction with high agricultural exports, the USDA also predicts that there will be a record high of imports of tropical oils, coffee, sugar and rubber as a result of the decline of global prices for these products.