OSWEGO, NEW YORK, U.S. — New York state is investing $15 million toward the construction of the Central New York Agriculture Export Center at the Port of Oswego.

The funding will support the construction of a new storage dome, a storage silo, a tunnel and belt conveyor system, as well as a control center and a USDA sampling laboratory for agricultural products.

“The Port of Oswego is a key economic generator for the entire Central New York Region,” said Andrew M. Cuomo, New York State governor. “This investment will help the port renew and modernize its agricultural handling facilities, providing the region with enhanced access to international markets and boosting local economies.”

The port handles more than one million tons of imports and exports annually by cargo ships. One of the fastest growing commodities exported from the Central New York region around the world is agricultural products, including corn and soybeans. It is a deep-water port located on Lake Ontario.

“We are exceedingly grateful to Governor Cuomo for the infrastructure investment of $15 million for the construction of the Central NY Agriculture Export Center at the Port of Oswego Authority,” said William Scriber, executive director of the Oswego Port Authority. “This investment is crucial to the growing agricultural business not only at the port but all of Central New York. The port is looking forward to the positive economic impact, the boost in job creation, and to supporting New York farmers.”

The Port of Oswego funding is part of the governor’s $65 million commitment to modernizing and enhancing the economic competitiveness of the state’s upstate ports.

Projects previously awarded funding under this initiative include $15 million in dedicated state funding to the Capital Region for reconstruction of a portion of the wharf at the south end of the Port of Albany; $10 million to the North Country Region to extend the wharf at the Port of Ogdensburg to accommodate larger cargo ships; and $21 million toward construction of the Central New York Region’s first inland port in the Town of Dewitt.