TUSCALOOSA: Exports from Alabama-made products totaled nearly $20.6 billion last years, according to the governor’s office. The number is a record high for exports in the state, the Tuscaloosa News reported. The previous record was $19.6 billion in 2012. Alabama Department of Commerce’s Office of International Trade says exports of Alabama-made transportation products include automobiles, aircraft parts, chemicals and metals. They were shipped to 189 countries last year.
“Alabama’s dynamic manufacturing base turns out a wide range of great products that consumers in markets around the world want to own, which creates jobs and opportunity here at home,” Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce, said in a news release. Canfield added: “Setting a new record for exports last year shows that ‘Made in Alabama’ is not a slogan, but a fundamental economic pillar supporting economic growth in our state.” The state’s top export category last year was transportation equipment, including automobiles and parts, aircraft components and boats. Those exports climbed 15 percent to nearly $10.7 billion last year. Other top exports were chemicals, primary metals, paper products and some types of machinery.
Commerce Department data states that Canada, China, Germany, Mexico and the United Kingdom were top markets for Alabama-made products last year. “Exports are a key component of the state’s economic growth and make for a more prosperous Alabama,” said Hilda Lockhart, director of Commerce’s Office of International Trade. “It is encouraging to see this continued rise in exports because we know that it is growing jobs and sustaining our companies in a great multitude of industry sectors.”
