Research Center
Louisiana Business Profile
Industrial Base
Louisiana's economy has become more diversified since its days of dependence
on the oil and gas industry, though the region still claims the nation's
second largest refining capacity. Economic diversification has come in the way
of new ventures within apparel and furniture manufacturing, paper and wood
products, general manufacturing, warehousing, and two logical extensions of
traditional local enterprises-food processing and aquaculture.
CHEMICAL PLANTS
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PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS
Louisiana's petroleum and natural gas resources are the underpinning for much
of its giant petroleum refining and petrochemical manufacturing economy. The
state is the second largest producer of natural gas, and the third largest
petroleum producer. It is the second largest producer of sulfur and the
leading source of salt. Sand, gravel, clays, lime, shell and gypsum are also
extracted from the southern region of the state.
Louisiana Oil
and Gas Association
AGRICULTURE
An abundance of fresh water, a long growing season and rich soil make it
possible to harvest virtually any crop grown in the Western Hemisphere.
Louisiana is among the top ten states in the production of sugar cane (2nd),
sweet potatoes (2nd), rice (3rd), and cotton (5th) and soybeans (10th).
Specialty crops include hot peppers to produce the world-famous Tabasco sauce,
pungent perique tobacco, yams and strawberries. Cattle are also raised in
significant quantities.
TIMBER AND WOOD PRODUCTS
Rapidly growing pines cover 13.9 million acres of Louisiana. Pine and hardwood
are harvested at a rate of one million board feet of timber and 3.6 million
cords of pulp wood annually. End products are a healthy industry base for the
state and include paper and paper products, furniture, flooring, plywood,
particle board and containers.
FISHERIES
Louisiana is second only to Alaska in fish and shellfish production-First in
shrimp, first in oysters and first in crawfish. Each year, over 1.5 billion
pounds of seafood are harvested from Louisiana waters.
GENERAL MANUFACTURING
Louisiana assembles light trucks, fabricates giant external fuel tanks for the
space shuttle, repairs and refits jet aircraft, and makes specialized vehicles
for traveling over marshes, as well as maritime ranging equipment that let
ships know where they are at sea.
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