CITY'S EXPORTERS AMONG TOP IN U.S., STUDY SAYS.

Byline: Gregory J. Wilcox Daily News Staff Writer

Exporters in the Los Angeles area are among the nation's busiest, ringing up sales at a multibillion-dollar clip, the U.S. Commerce Department said Thursday.

The value of goods shipped through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach totaled $22.2 billion in 1994, an 11 percent increase from the prior year and the third-highest total in the country, the department said in a new report.

It's the first time that the federal agency measured the local export business. The survey focused on 256 metropolitan areas.

Los Angeles trailed Detroit and New York, which ranked first and second in sales. A survey comparing 1995 exports with 1994 is still in the works, said department spokesman Kurt Cultice.

Of the areas surveyed, 80 percent showed year-over-year gains. For example, sales in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area jumped $2.21 billion during the survey period.

``The data not only reflect the importance of exports to jobs and economic growth, but serve as a critical measuring tool for state, local and private sector organizations in mapping out export strategies and tracking results,'' said Stuart E. Eizenstat, Commerce Department undersecretary.

Look for future improvement in the local numbers. The ports at Long Beach and Los Angeles harbors are being expanded.

``Container exports (here) are growing four times faster than container imports,'' said Yvonne Avila, Long Beach port spokeswoman.

Exporters can thank world economic conditions.

Pacific Rim markets account for more than half of the region's export sales. In international monetary markets the dollar has been weak compared to the Japanese yen, which helps boost domestic exports.

``Exports have been growing very strongly in the last couple of year,'' said Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Economic Development Corp. of Los Angeles County. ``So far this year the growth rate is a little bit more moderate but I hope it will pick up because the Japanese economy is rebounding and you're starting to see better economic news out of Mexico.''

Top selling products shipped through the local ports included transportation equipment, industrial machinery and computers, electronic equipment and food products.

Total U.S. export sales during 1994 totaled $415 billion, a 11.5 percent jump from the prior year, the Commerce Department said.

Seventy-seven cities saw sales jump $1 billion or more.

Detroit had the biggest gain, a $10.69 billion increase.

But that number may be slightly skewed because one exporter reported 1994 sales but not those for 1993, said the Commerce Department's Cultice.

And Kyser notes that Detroit's statistics include car and truck parts made in the United States and shipped to Canadian assembly plants. The finished vehicles then are shipped back to domestic dealerships.

Paul Kranhold, assistant secretary for marketing at the California Trade and Commerce Agency, said the federal report is further proof that the nation's trade center is shifting from the East Coast to the West Coast. Last year the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports overtook those in New York and New Jersey as the nation's top centers for container cargo.

And he notes that 92 percent of the products exported by California ports are produced in the state.

``This is definitely good news and it's another sign that California is regaining some of its golden glitter as the nation's leading economic force. We have a gross domestic product growth rate that is nearly twice the national average,'' Kranhold said.

CAPTION(S):

Chart, Box

Chart: (Color) L.A. EXPORT SALES BY INDUSTRY

Sales byLos Angeles an area exporters topped $22 billion during 1994, a 11 percent increase from 1993. The region ranks third nationally in export sales.

Box: (Color) EXPORT LEADERS

Top five metropolitan areas in the export business