Cindy Barth, Editor-Orlando Business Journal
The latest international trade numbers show that $5.22 billion worth of goods left Florida for international markets in May, an increase of 10.4 percent from April, according to Durham, N.H.-based e-forecasting.com.
The May data is the most recent available.
Exports of manufactured goods contributed significantly to the state’s international trade, accounting for 76 percent of all state exports in May. Exports from state manufacturers increased in May by 16.8 percent from the previous month to $3.95 billion.
However, exports of non-manufactured goods went down 5.8 percent in May to $1.26.9 billion. This group of foreign sales consists of agricultural goods, mining products and re-exports — foreign goods that entered the state as imports and are exported in substantially the same condition.
Florida ranked 42nd among the 50 states during the first five months of this year. Compared to the same period in 2013, foreign sales from Florida’s companies, seasonally adjusted, decreased by an annual rate of 7.4 percent.