02/27/08 Exports Up

Exports Up. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. Ag exports in Washington are up. The latest report out of the Washington State Department of Agriculture is seen as great news by WSDA Director Valoria Loveland. LOVELAND: We've increased our exports by 38% in 2007 and that's kind of the bottom line for farmers and ranchers here. We're getting more and more of the export market which is very good news for Washington agriculture. Total export market numbers topped $9.3 billion dollars and especially good news are the numbers for the fruit crop. LOVELAND: We're the number one producer of apples and sweet cherries both of those tree fruits are doing extremely well in foreign markets as well as in the United States so there prices are really good, their quality is really high, we've got great infrastructure in place to transport fruits and vegetables around the world Loveland says there are a number of things that have contributed to the increase. LOVELAND: It's a combination of a lot of things as it usually is. Obviously we are getting higher prices for our commodities because of supply and demand. The lower dollar value obviously makes a difference for international buyers and then there have been a lot of other weather events around the world that have created shortages which helps to drive up prices. According to the new report apples, cherries and other fruits accounted for $783 million dollars while wheat was the largest export at $1.3 billion dollars. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.