Nevada food, ag exports hit record levels in state

Nevada’s food and agricultural exports in 2013 reached a milestone with sales surpassing 2012’s export sales by $19.5 million.

Export sales in 2012 were $117.4 million while 2013 exports were $137 million making for a 17 percent increase in sales between the two years.

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, for every $181,000 in export sales, one job is created and pays 17 percent better than a job not associated with exporting. In Nevada, that means 756 high end jobs were created in 2013 due to the state’s food and agriculture exports.

“This is great news for Nevada’s food and agriculture industries,” said Jim Barbee, director of the Nevada Department of Agriculture. “We look forward to further growth and increased job creation throughout the sector.”

Food and agriculture products are Nevada’s ninth largest export category followed by precious metals and stones. The top four markets for Nevada food and agriculture products in 2013 were Canada, China, Mexico and Japan.

The majority of these exports – 94.8 percent – comprise 10 product categories that include cereals, flour and starches, beverages and spirits, grains and seed, fruits and vegetables, trees, plants and sugar-based products.

State exports in 2013 for all industries totaled $8.7 billion, down from $10.26 billion in 2012. The largest decrease was seen in precious metals and stones, which could be explained by a drop in the price of gold.

“Over the last decade, agriculture has been economically consistent, making it a very beneficial contributor to our state’s economy,” Barbee said. “We look forward to future agriculture export growth and its potential impact in Nevada.