The cargo pileup at West Coast ports had a bigger impact on farm exports from California than the China/U.S. trade war, say three economists. They estimated losses of $2.1 billion in foreign sales during a five-month period because of port congestion, comparing that to economic losses of about $500 million for California agriculture during the first year of the trade war.
“Due to exporters’ difficulty obtaining empty shipping containers, the value of California’s containerized agricultural exports fell by an estimated $2.1 billion, about 17 percent, from May to September 2021,” wrote the economists in a University of California magazine. “The lost farm exports mirror the fact that California ports are among the least efficient in the world,” they wrote. “As a result, some importers now view California as an unreliable supplier of agricultural products due to inferior port infrastructure.” California is the largest ag exporting state in the nation, with more than 40% of its production going to foreign buyers.
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