Ports Backlog Effects on U.S. Ag Exports

Dan Exports/Imports, Trade

port
The Port of Savannah was the first container terminal in the Southeast or Gulf Coast to move 5 million twenty-foot equivalent container units in a fiscal year.
Georgia Ports Authority / Jeremy Polston

For quite some time now we’ve been hearing about the backlog at U.S ports, both for imports and exports. Back in June of 2021, the White House announced a new Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force to address the short-term issues.

Southeast AgNet’s Randall Weiseman recently talked with John D. Porcari, Port Envoy to the Biden-Harris Administration Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force. They discussed where exports of U.S. agricultural goods currently stand and how all of this is affecting ports here in the Southeast. But Porcari starts off with an explanation of where things currently stand with this backlog situation.

Ports Backlog Effects on U.S. Ag Exports

In late November of last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released their quarterly “Outlook for U.S. Agricultural Trade”. The report noted U.S. agricultural exports in fiscal year (FY) 2022 are projected at $175.5 billion. While that is down $2.0 billion from the previous forecast, it would still be a record if realized.