Report: Minn. manufactured exports down 17 percent

Minnesota's manufactured exports dropped by 17 percent from the same quarter last year, according to a government report released today.

State manufactured exports declined to $3.7 billion this quarter, according to the report by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. The figures are in stark contrast to 2008's record $17.8 billion.

"After a record year last year, Minnesota manufacturers have been challenged in 2009 by an economic slowdown that has disrupted business worldwide," said DEED commissioner Dan Elroy in a statement.

Manufactured exports nationwide fell 21 percent during the same period. Only two states -- Utah and Wyoming -- increased manufactured export sales during the third quarter.

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The decrease has slowed somewhat over the second quarter, when the state's exports had dropped by 19.4 percent.

In the third quarter, exports to Canada, Minnesota's largest market, were down 24 percent from last year. Canada accounts for about one-fourth of the state's manufactured exports.

Exports were down 19 percent in the computer and electronics industries, the state's largest export sector. Other significant drops include a 21 percent decline in machinery, a 14 percent decrease in food products, and a 21 percent drop in transportation equipment.

A few markets experienced growth, with exports to Japan increasing by three percent and exports to Korea and Australia each increasing by seven percent.