California's Agricultural Industry is Booming
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - The state's economy as a whole may still be limping along, but one sector seems to be red hot these days.
"Demand has gone up around the world for many of the products we produce here," summed up California Farm Bureau spokesman Dave Kranz. "And as more people in China and India and other developing economies gain more personal wealth, they're more interested in buying those sorts of specialty crops, fruits, vegetables, nuts, et cetera that we grow here in California."
Commodity prices, he said, are strong - cotton, grapes and other crops pricing at near all-time highs. Exports are even stronger, up 16% from a year ago.
In short, it's a good year to grow or raise things.
KCBS' Tim Ryan Reports:
"A whole variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, nursery crops, of course we're the leading milk producer in the nation and produce a lot of animal products as well," Kranz championed the options of growing in California.
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