Economists dub the west coast port pile up as “Containergeddon” and they are putting numbers on the impact.
California’s ag exports are down by $2 billion dollars.
Breaking it down by crop:
It is estimated that nut producers lost $250 million in foreign sales
Wine producers lost more than $250 million dollars
- Rice growers lost more than $120 million dollars
Economists say that the lost farm exports are an example of how California ports are the least efficient in the world. Now, importers are viewing the state as an unreliable ag product supplier, even though they are the largest exporting state in the nation.
Despite all this, the USDA forecasts a new U.S. Farm Export record of $175 billion dollars in the current fiscal year.
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