By Jennifer Whitlock
Field Editor
For the 19th year in a row, Texas was named the top exporter of all U.S. states by the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis.
“Texas shipped $279.3 billion worth of goods around the globe in 2020,” Luis Ribera, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economist, said in an interview with AgriLife Today. “The state outperformed all other states, with the value of its exports accounting for 19.5 percent of overall U.S. exported products for 2020.”
The majority of Texas exports went to North American trading partners Mexico and Canada. Mexico received nearly 32 percent of Texas exports, while Canada took in 8.3 percent. China came in third, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic did affect Texas exports last year, Ribera noted it was not as big of an impact in the Lone Star State because of our diverse economy. On the other hand, Winter Storm Uri had a significant impact on first quarter 2021 exports.
But a return to warmer weather and quick recovery will lead to improvement soon.
“Texans saw some supply chain disruptions and temporary shortages of food and other needed supplies during the winter storm and in its aftermath,” he said. “But once issues affecting fuel availability, transportation, workforce availability, stymied agricultural production and other challenges normalize once again, the state more than likely will remain ranked as the top exporting state in the country.”
Natural resources like oil and gas were among the state’s top 10 exportable products in 2020, along with electronic integrated circuits; civilian aircraft, engines and parts; parts and accessories for automatic data processing machines; and semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
Although agriculture doesn’t place in the top 10, Ribera noted it is still a high-value industry in Texas and a source of much of the state’s exports.
Texas still ranks fifth among U.S. states with an estimated $6.5 billion annually in agricultural exports, he added.
More than $1.6 billion of cotton was exported last year, making it the top Texas agricultural export. Beef, feed grains, poultry and wheat rounded out the top five agricultural exports from the Lone Star State.
“We are the No. 1 cotton exporter in the U.S. and rank second in both beef and wheat exports,” Ribera said. “We are also first in sheep and goat production, second in overall animal exports and among the top five U.S. states in exportation of pecans, sorghum, rice and dairy products.”
Economic diversity, solid infrastructure, international port access by land and sea, a business-friendly environment and Texas’ vast size make it an exporting powerhouse.
“Our energy resources and agricultural production are of great importance—not only to the state, but also to the nation and to people throughout the world,” Ribera said. “Texas leads the nation in number of farms and ranches. And the fact that it has so much agricultural production, yet agricultural exports are no longer near the top for contributing to the state’s [gross domestic product] GDP shows just how diverse and exceptional the Texas economy has become.”