Idaho Paces Nation In Export Growth

Idaho led the nation in export growth last year, while Washington exporters suffered through their worst year since 1989.

The reversal of traditional roles reflects the slowdown in Boeing airplane sales and success of Idaho’s efforts to penetrate foreign markets.

Washington exported $26.1 billion of goods in 1994, the lowest total in five years.

The drop in aircraft exports offset increases in other sectors such as paper products, electronics and fish.

Across the border in Idaho, exports rose 25 percent in 1994 from 1993, fueled mostly by high-tech manufacturing, said David Christensen, administrator of the International Trade division of the Idaho Department of Commerce.

“The trend still looks very strong for us,” Christensen said. “When we first started our trade efforts in 1987, we were working with 120 companies, and now we’re working with 850.”

Major export areas include building materials, chemicals and paper products, Christensen said. Nearly $2.3 billion of exports left Idaho in 1994, mostly going to Japan and Europe, records show, compared with only $753 million of products Idaho exported in 1987.

The Washington state trade figures are somewhat misleading because they don’t reflect what foreigners spent for Washington services. That classification includes computer software, which accounted for about $2 million in exports in 1994.

“Looking at all categories, excluding aircraft, the trend has been a reduction in exports of commodities and low-technology products and an increase of high-technology, valueadded products,” said Steve Odom, managing director for trade at the state Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development.

Port of Seattle officials note the statistics also do not reflect Washington’s position as a gateway for U.S. exports or foreign imports. Such trade has expanded steadily in recent years and provides thousands of jobs in the Puget Sound area.

But the decline in Washingtonoriginated exports indicates recovery in the state’s manufacturing industries is lagging behind the rest of the nation.

For Washington, it was the second consecutive year of declining exports. In 1994, they dropped $3.3 billion, from $29.4 billion in 1993 to $26.1 billion, according to figures from the Massachusetts Institute of Social and Economic Research.

Boeing’s overseas sales of commercial aircraft fell $2.9 billion, from $14.2 billion in 1993 to $11.3 billion in 1994.