A Look at California Export Agriculture

Many major news agencies report that farmers in California are having a hard time exporting their products. While this was predicted for a while, it is still unsettling to see the magnitude of what is happening in California.

The INC released an article about how the supply is being affected by the shipping crisis, and to complement that, we're going to be talking about the state of the export agriculture industry in the region.

What's Happening?

Like every major foodstuff industry in the world right now, California is struggling to send out its produce. But unlike other regions that are solely affected by the shipping crisis, California has had a pretty rough year.

We've been talking about the California drought a lot in several posts, its effects, and more. While the farmers' plight is frighteningly real, and changes in the environment have clearly affected the traditional almond industry, there's so much else going on too.

There's the water crisis that has divided local communities as well as farmers. Most farmers don't even think that they're going to cultivate almond crops anymore.

Shipment Delays & Shortages

Those who managed to save some of their crops are in trouble because no one's buying. It has been reported that 80% of all scheduled shipments have been canceled. So, what should farmers do with their goods?

In addition to this, there has been an issue with domestic truck drivers as well. As the maritime industry finds itself in a major lockdown, we've seen a crisis with a shortage of truck drivers as well.

So, the situation keeps getting worse. But now there's a new prediction of shortage of maritime laborers too, and that makes us question what the future holds for California. A report released by the California Almond Board revealed that shipments were low by 30%. If other crops faced similar issues as well, California's farmers are in for a bleak future.