Source:  NC CHAMBER, 7/13/20



With COVID-19 dominating headlines, we wanted to share a piece of news you might have missed that underscores the importance of agriculture and agribusiness for our state’s economy. As Dee Shore with NC State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences reports in this article, a new industry snapshot compiled by NC State economist Mike Walden shows that, in 2018, the food, fiber, and forestry industries contributed more than 16 percent ($92.7 billion) of North Carolina’s gross state product.

According to Walden, that number sets a record for total income generated by our state’s agriculture and agribusiness sectors, demonstrating just how vital food, fiber, and forestry are to the fabric of North Carolina. The report also shows that agriculture and agribusinesses provided about 772,000 jobs in 2018, or about one-sixth of our state’s total workforce.

For more of this story, click here.