U.S. Planting Seed Import Highlights

July-June Marketing Year 1997/98 Compared to 1995/96 and 1996/97

July-May 1995/96 1996/97 1997/98 % Change 1995/96 1996/97 1997/98 % Change

Metric Tons 97/98-96/97 $1,000 97/98-96/97

ALL SEEDS 191,869 216,875 249,021 14.8% 270,065 334,937 403,614 20.5%

BY KIND

Grasses 23,777 37,578 34,567 -8.0% 25,810 46,073 45,869 -0.4%

Red Fescue 14,756 21,006 20,215 -3.8% 13,470 22,792 21,505 -5.6%

Wheatgrass 663 1,308 2,157 64.9% 1,126 2,521 7,947 215.2%

Perennial Ryegrass 779 8,106 3,897 -51.9% 1,817 11,289 4,886 -56.7%

Timothy 2,980 2,630 4,178 58.9% 2,079 1,698 2,572 51.5%

Bromegrass 1,192 1,104 883 -20.0% 1,869 1,667 2,157 29.4%

Unhulled Bermudagrass 281 324 521 60.8% 152 135 844 525.2%

Tall Fescue 304 517 585 13.2% 397 757 721 -4.8%

Annual Ryegrass 279 337 465 38.0% 283 476 590 23.9%

Wild Rye 0 16 152 850.0% 0 89 395 343.8%

Other Fescue 133 314 100 -68.2% 173 627 262 -58.2%

Kentucky Bluegrass 1,235 616 163 -73.5% 2,047 1,146 235 -79.5%

Hulled Bermudagrass 63 122 84 -31.1% 28 265 199 -24.9%

Meadow Fescue 20 480 96 -80.0% 38 689 115 -83.3%

Other Forages 12,338 8,620 15,031 74.4% 20,539 16,827 29,103 73.0%

Uncertified Alfalfa 3,353 3,034 4,529 49.3% 7,140 7,139 11,870 66.3%

Red Clover 3,293 1,145 1,805 57.6% 4,356 1,911 3,498 83.0%

Certified Alfalfa 808 1,019 1,388 36.2% 1,761 2,406 3,309 37.5%

White & Ladino Clover 570 532 743 39.7% 1,645 1,389 1,898 36.6%

Sweet Clover 2,159 863 1,020 18.2% 1,564 810 1,359 67.8%

Birdsfoot Trefoil 345 132 245 85.6% 1,267 504 1,231 144.2%

Alsike Clover 695 460 552 20.0% 701 617 1,094 77.3%

Pulses 52,207 54,229 51,963 -4.2% 22,677 26,475 24,190 -8.6%

Pea 16,459 24,520 22,340 -8.9% 4,884 7,909 7,197 -9.0%

Gram Bean 11,026 12,811 8,073 -37.0% 6,596 8,707 6,612 -24.1%

Lentil 2,730 3,963 6,004 51.5% 1,365 1,750 2,119 21.1%

Other Kidney Bean 1,065 900 1,342 49.1% 787 767 1,053 37.3%

Navy Bean 1,491 1,790 1,098 -38.7% 712 915 547 -40.2%

Vegetables 6,245 11,765 14,092 19.8% 70,104 89,511 111,501 24.6%

Tomato 254 229 349 52.4% 21,253 21,276 27,696 30.2%

Pepper 88 106 221 108.5% 9,201 14,673 17,566 19.7%

Pumpkin 1,995 3,181 3,028 -4.8% 4,593 6,974 7,629 9.4%

Watermelon 217 347 111 -68.0% 6,641 7,722 7,237 -6.3%

Sweet Corn 44 332 4,261 1183.4% 200 478 6,846 1332.2%

Onion 150 349 256 -26.6% 4,870 5,018 6,195 23.5%

Cantaloupe 39 72 123 70.8% 2,833 4,432 6,125 38.2%

Other Melons 153 146 178 21.9% 2,126 3,073 3,642 18.5%

Cucumber 72 40 50 25.0% 2,092 2,304 3,482 51.1%

Squash 107 91 192 111.0% 2,185 2,564 3,217 25.5%

Cauliflower 15 13 31 138.5% 1,165 1,157 2,934 153.6%

Carrot 47 38 98 157.9% 1,065 909 2,298 152.8%

Broccoli 13 21 92 338.1% 1,379 1,149 2,155 87.6%

Field Crops 96,254 103,325 130,684 26.5% 80,466 98,334 137,214 39.5%

Field Corn 44,120 52,535 72,119 37.3% 57,107 76,098 110,623 45.4%

Soybean 8,141 14,008 19,116 36.5% 5,216 7,898 10,131 28.3%

Rape and Colza 5,410 1,100 2,632 139.3% 3,902 3,937 7,196 82.8%

Non-durum Wheat 20,378 16,619 12,586 -24.3% 4,532 3,721 2,411 -35.2%

Barley 8,330 8,982 9,835 9.5% 1,650 1,653 1,661 0.5%

Confection Sunflower 2,657 914 1,188 30.0% 5,765 2,426 1,298 -46.5%

Cotton 887 200 1,520 660.0% 447 272 1,286 372.8%

Durum Wheat 4,023 4,894 4,687 -4.2% 992 948 1,147 21.0%

Oat 1,554 2,969 6,334 113.3% 305 597 1,032 72.9%

Miscellaneous Kinds 1,047 1,359 2,685 97.6% 50,469 57,716 55,738 -3.4%

Flower 434 605 790 30.6% 46,130 50,755 46,391 -8.6%

Tree and Shrub 211 219 167 -23.7% 1,735 3,314 4,415 33.2%

Sugar Beet 22 107 1,436 1242.1% 306 286 1,236 332.2%

BY REGION

South America 36,493 53,236 85,994 61.53% 64,986 86,037 133,096 54.7%

North America 135,581 134,520 132,578 -1.44% 89,704 105,005 117,033 11.5%

European Union 4,900 5,176 6,305 21.8% 41,007 51,695 51,661 -0.1%

BY COUNTRY

Canada 128,405 132,250 130,324 -1.5% 79,112 92,916 99,421 7.0%

Chile 24,648 32,325 44,071 36.3% 47,440 63,529 81,030 27.5%

Argentina 10,305 18,847 39,711 110.7% 14,903 18,997 47,974 152.5%

China 6,833 6,960 7,169 3.0% 18,987 22,681 29,459 29.9%

Netherlands 1,657 1,525 1,467 -3.8% 22,727 24,126 22,908 -5.0%

Mexico 7,176 2,270 2,253 -0.7% 10,593 12,089 17,612 45.7%

Japan 78 189 372 96.8% 15,041 14,245 13,469 -5.4%

France 1,372 1,202 1,462 21.6% 5,308 8,334 10,283 23.4%

India 1,859 2,800 4,269 52.5% 5,726 7,167 8,699 21.4%

New Zealand 2,325 7,524 5,006 -33.5% 4,382 11,434 7,453 -34.8%

Australia 1,213 3,388 4,264 25.9% 3,762 6,122 7,300 19.2%
Germany 212 281 354 26.0% 4,719 6,829 7,145 4.6%

Israel 74 155 107 -31.0% 4,167 4,636 6,303 36.0%

Guatemala 15 14 42 200.0% 6,895 5,030 6,118 21.6%

Taiwan 108 108 103 -4.6% 2,212 4,818 5,926 23.0%

Thailand 540 619 560 -9.5% 5,534 6,193 5,694 -8.1%

Italy 439 508 1,411 177.8% 2,069 2,752 4,198 52.5%

Denmark 868 1,301 607 -53.3% 3,762 5,539 3,963 -28.5%

Costa Rica 185 104 262 151.9% 681 2,490 3,853 54.7%

Brazil 532 1,167 1,998 71.2% 1,050 2,100 3,003 43.0%

United Kingdom 206 249 534 114.5% 2,045 3,586 2,569 -28.4%

South Africa 225 264 352 33.3% 1,033 699 1,947 178.5%

South Korea 11 17 27 58.8% 561 752 751 -0.1%

Hungary 360 565 109 -80.7% 684 1,123 692 -38.4%

Indonesia1 --- --- NA 339 497 618 24.3%

Vietnam34 21 425.0% 102 336 591 75.9%

Peru 695 814 64 -92.1% 813 1,335 553 -58.6%

Uruguay 55 --- 98 NA 2192 426 21200.0%

Hong Kong 136 194 124 -36.1% 497 488 359 -26.4%

Burma 188 360 608 68.9% 133 234 347 48.3%

Belgium 119 56 123 119.6% 119 119 315 164.7%

Turkey 340 135 81 -40.0% 581 456 234 -48.7%

Nicaragua00 184 NA 00 225 NA 

Syria00 27 NA 00 221 NA 

Spain4 45 313 595.6% 88 95 213 124.2%

--- denotes less than 500 kilograms.

Source: Compiled from U.S. Bureau of Census records.

Prepared by USDA/FAS/COTSD

July 1998