The Port of Kalama’s two grain elevators exported nearly 5 million metric tons of soybeans in 2020. The shipments totaled 33% of all U.S. West Coast soybean exports, just above the Northwest Seaport Alliance Ports of Tacoma and Seattle at 32%.
“Both TEMCO and Kalama Export are the absolute workhorses of the port,” Commission President Randy Sweet said. “Every year we continue to be amazed at how well they perform, and it speaks volumes about their operations and hardworking employees.”
The Port of Longview exported about 10% of West Coast soybean exports. The Ports of Kalama, Longview and Vancouver collectively handled 51% of the West Coast soybean export trade in 2020.
The soybeans come to Kalama from farms in the upper Midwest, including North and South Dakota and Minnesota. They are shipped to mostly Asian countries, particularly China, and are used for livestock feed and human consumption, according to the port.
The port exported a total of 15 million metric tons of cargo last year, mostly agricultural products. This is nearly 15% more than 2019 and 50% more than 10 years ago.
The port was named the third largest exporter on the West Coast, behind the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif., according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s USA Trade Online.