Export-Heavy Port's Director Says Recovery Could Take Two to Three Years
The executive director of the Port of Portland, a port that's dominated by exports, said tonnage is down, and while he thinks there will be some rebound later this year, he expects it will take two to three years to fully return to normal. Curtis Robinhold was speaking on a Washington International Trade Association webinar May 21. He said that grain exports are down 10% and automotive goods are down much more sharply -- by 30%. That includes parts for Toyota, Hyundai and Honda that are imported and exports of completed Ford vehicles, he said.
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This follows some loss of business due to the U.S.-China trade war last year. He said that exports of Oregon cherries to China fell 75% last year. Robinhold said he's worried that politicians are going to be stoking acrimony toward China in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. “This race-based demagoguery is not helpful at all,” he said. “A more measured approach can have a really positive effect on people’s lives in our region.”