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Minnesota's exports rose 13% in the first three months of the year, with Canada, China and the Netherlands seeing some of the biggest increases.

That was slightly slower than the U.S. as a whole, which saw exports jump 18% in the same period.

The state's exports of manufactured, agricultural and mining goods in the first quarter were valued at $6.1 billion, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

"Minnesota businesses are working hard to recover market share around the world, and also overcome supply chain and logistics challenges," Gabrielle Gerbaud, executive director of the Minnesota Trade Office, said in a statement.

Some of the markets that showed the biggest increases in the first quarter were Minnesota's top two international markets — Canada and China, which were up 35% and 25%. The Netherlands saw a sizeable increase of 44%, and Colombia jumped 61%. Exports to the Middle East region rose 29%, with wheat exports surging in particular to Yemen.

Those increases were partially offset by declines in exports to Germany, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Australia and New Zealand.

About half of the state's largest export categories grew in the first quarter, including electrical equipment, optic and medical, cereals, plastics and meat. Others, such as machinery, food by-products and aircraft, experienced declines.

State exports declined 10% in 2020, but rebounded to above pre-pandemic levels last year.