Port Of South Louisiana Leads Grain Industry Economic Impact

The grain industry is the core of the port business in the Lower Mississippi River area, generating $1.7 billion of spending in the area and over 7,300 jobs according to a study recently conducted by the Port of South Louisiana.

Louisiana's Lower Mississippi River ports handle more tons of cargo than any other port area in the world. The main component of t h a t cargo is grain. Statistics compiled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers show that the Louisiana Megaport complex handled 374 million tons of total cargo in 1989 and 44 percent of t h a t cargo was grain, including corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, sorghum, barley, rye, oats, flax seed, flour, semolina, animal feed and other grain products.

The total value of Megaport grain exports is between $11 billion and $ 13 billion per year, providing thousands of jobs for American citizens employed in grain production, handling and shipping.

The grain industry has a substantial economic impact on the River Corridor and on the State of Louisiana. In 1989, the grain industry and the related maritime industry produced $1.7 billion of direct spending and $2.2 billion of total spending in the River Corridor area.

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