Connecticut exports rose 2 percent to record volume in the first half of this year, with South America and Africa pacing demand for products made in the Nutmeg State, federal trade authorities say.
The state’s merchandise exports rose to $8.5 billion from $8.2 billion tallied in the first six months of 2012, the International Trade Administration said Thursday.
“This new export data from the first half of 2013 show states across the country have more businesses marketing their products abroad and creating thousands of new jobs in their local communities,” Francisco Sánchez, under secretary of commerce for international trade said in a statement.
Connecticut’s exports in the first half outpaced the 2012 figures in many top destinations, the agency said, including: Colombia (+293 percent); Algeria (+215 percent); the United Arab Emirates (+51 percent); France (+24 percent); and Singapore (+22 percent).
The state’s key merchandise export categories, ITA said, include: transportation equipment; machinery manufactures; computer and electronic products; chemicals; and electrical equipment.
