While petroleum and coal products continued to be the state’s top exports in 2014—which was a record year for exporting, with Louisiana seeing overall expansion of 2.76% to $65.1 billion—exports in those industries slipped 0.8% to $25.7 billion last year.
Agriculture exports, which are the state’s second-leading export sector, rose slightly more than 14% to $17.7 billion in 2014, according to the World Trade Center of New Orleans’ year-end report released late Thursday.
“Agriculture products experienced an impressive rebound last year,” reads the report. “In 2013 Louisiana exports of agricultural products decreased by 20.28% from the previous year … oilseeds and grains made up the largest percentage of exports of agricultural products.”
Chemicals accounted for the third-most exports in the state last year, but that sector also saw its total slip by roughly 6% to $8.6 billion.
The largest decrease within Louisiana’s top 10 industries last year was in exports of minerals and ores, which fell by roughly 19% to $730.5 million. The state’s biggest exporting sector gain among the top 10 industries was in primary metal manufacturing, which shot up 46% to $1.1 billion. Exports of beverage and tobacco products, meanwhile, rose 27.6% to just shy of $730 million; and fabricated metal product exports rose 24.5% to $925.2 million.
The top three foreign countries receiving Louisiana exports last year were China ($8.7 billion, up 8.9%), Mexico ($7.3 billion, up 14.5%) and Canada ($3.3 billion, up 5.6%). The top three states for Louisiana exports in 2014 were Texas ($289 billion, up 3.4%), California ($174.1 billion, up 3.6%) and Washington ($90.6 billion, up 11%).
The export report does not reflect all products manufactured or produced in the state, but rather all of those passing through the state in the export cycle. 2014 marked the sixth-straight year Louisiana exporting expanded, the report notes; the state ranked No. 6 nationally for exports last year.
See the complete 2014 Louisiana export report.
—Steve Sanoski
