Idaho agricultural exports rose in the first quarter from a year earlier, due to strong contributions from the state’s dairy industry.
The Idaho State Department of Agriculture says exports by dollar volume rose by 2.25 percent in the first quarter of 2018, from a year earlier, to $214.37 billion. Cereal exports rose 45 percent, as some 90 percent of wheat grown in northern Idaho, north of the Salmon River, goes to export. 23 percent of Idaho ag exports were dairy, while vegetables including roots and tubers were next at 21 percent. 14 percent of Idaho ag exports were oilseeds and miscellaneous seeds; 9 percent for milling products including malt; and animal and meat product categories varied.
Canada at 33 percent and Mexico at 16 percent had the biggest shares of the Idaho ag-export market at the end of the January-March quarter, followed by the Netherlands, China, and South Korea.
Since the end of 2017, Australia, Hungary, and Spain rose into the top 10.
Although Idaho ag products remain popular internationally, commodity groups are watching a toughening U.S. trade policy stance and a strengthening dollar.
The Idaho Wheat Growers Association is keeping an eye on policy regarding both the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Asia-focused Trans-Pacific Partnership.
The value of the dollar is going up following a dip that made U.S. exports more competitive, as some of the year-to-year growth in Idaho ag exports occurred while the dollar was still lower.
The Idaho Dairymen’s Association says the recent nearly 3 percent decline in Mexico export dollar volume, and the discussions of renegotiating NAFTA while the European Union reached an agreement on free trade with Mexico are all concerns. (Capital Press)
