Ag exports set record pace

Washington farm products set a record export pace from Oct. 1 to March 31, according to the state Department of Agriculture.

Washington food exports totaled $1.91 billion in the last quarter of 2010, a figure matched in the first quarter of 2011. Each quarter set a record, beating the previous high of $1.89 billion, set in the third quarter of 2008, the department said.

Contributing factors listed by the agency were large 2010 harvests and the low value of the dollar compared to other currencies, making U.S. commodities more competitive in the global marketplace and keeping demand strong.

Food export sales to China and Hong Kong were up 29 percent to $247 million in the most recent October-to-March period versus $191 million for the same time span a year earlier.

Washington had record agricultural exports in 2008 but then slumped in 2009 before rebounding in 2010.