| U.S.        Planting Seed Export Highlights                                                    |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| July-June        Marketing Year 1996/97 Compared to 1995/96                                    |
| July-April                                                                                     |   | 1995/96 | 1996/97 | Change |   | 1995/96 | 1996/97 | Change |
|                                                                                           |   |   |   | Metric Tons | % |   | $1,000 |   | % |
| ALL SEEDS                                                                                      |   | 580,728 | 1,023,652 | 76.3% |   | 631,997 | 800,986 | 26.7% |
| BY KIND                                                                                        |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
|                                                                                           | Grasses |   | 40,005 | 49,239 | 23.1% |   | 49,588 | 62,694 | 26.4% |
|                                                                                           |   | Tall Fescue |   | 4,601 | 8,938 | 94.3% |   | 5,811 | 9,311 | 60.2% |
|                                                                                           |   | Annual Ryegrass |   | 9,872 | 10,337 | 4.7% |   | 7,875 | 7,953 | 1.0% |
|                                                                                           |   | Perennial Ryegrass | 5,349 | 6,076 | 13.6% |   | 6,871 | 7,873 | 14.6% |
|                                                                                           |   | Sorghum-sudan Crosses | 4,535 | 6,433 | 41.9% |   | 5,689 | 7,612 | 33.8% |
|                                                                                           |   | Kentucky Bluegrass | 1,981 | 3,060 | 54.5% |   | 5,078 | 6,385 | 25.7% |
|                                                                                           |   | Bentgrass |   | 1,169 | 1,539 | 31.7% |   | 3,618 | 5,076 | 40.3% |
|                                                                                           | Other Forages |   | 21,733 | 28,406 | 30.7% |   | 56,602 | 76,791 | 35.7% |
|                                                                                           |   | Certified Alfalfa | 8,995 | 13,244 | 47.2% |   | 30,724 | 45,421 | 47.8% |
|                                                                                           |   | Uncertified Alfalfa | 2,382 | 3,715 | 56.0% |   | 6,321 | 9,631 | 52.4% |
|                                                                                           |   | Red Clover |   | 932 | 1,105 | 18.6% |   | 2,167 | 2,676 | 23.5% |
|                                                                                           |   | White & Ladino Clover | 434 | 410 | -5.5% |   | 1,284 | 1,256 | -2.2% |
|                                                                                           |   | Crimson Clover |   | 634 | 981 | 54.7% |   | 968 | 1,210 | 25.0% |
|                                                                                           | Pulses |   | 42,755 | 49,983 | 16.9% |   | 36,116 | 44,882 | 24.3% |
|                                                                                           |   | Pea |   | 20,494 | 18,123 | -11.6% |   | 15,267 | 13,481 | -11.7% |
|                                                                                           |   | Other Kidney Bean | 2,865 | 6,036 | 110.7% |   | 2,833 | 6,680 | 135.8% |
|                                                                                           |   | Gram Bean |   | 3,864 | 3,565 | -7.7% |   | 4,167 | 4,692 | 12.6% |
|                                                                                           |   | Navy Bean |   | 2,766 | 4,855 | 75.5% |   | 2,130 | 3,426 | 60.8% |
|                                                                                           | Vegetables |   | 33,148 | 40,325 | 21.7% |   | 172,664 | 195,861 | 13.4% |
|                                                                                           |   | Sweet Corn |   | 7,867 | 17,303 | 119.9% |   | 21,571 | 59,725 | 176.9% |
|                                                                                           |   | Tomato |   | 1,060 | 1,212 | 14.3% |   | 18,981 | 19,059 | 0.4% |
|                                                                                           |   | Onion |   | 1,478 | 917 | -38.0% |   | 14,928 | 11,938 | -20.0% |
|                                                                                           |   | Mushroom Spawn |   | 5,197 | 4,552 | -12.4% |   | 11,974 | 9,500 | -20.7% |
|                                                                                           |   | Pepper |   | 1,513 | 1,706 | 12.8% |   | 8,518 | 9,101 | 6.8% |
|                                                                                           |   | Watermelon |   | 1,200 | 1,022 | -14.8% |   | 8,704 | 8,025 | -7.8% |
|                                                                                           |   | Squash |   | 1,137 | 1,207 | 6.2% |   | 7,276 | 8,009 | 10.1% |
|                                                                                           |   | Cucumber |   | 987 | 865 | -12.4% |   | 9,155 | 7,959 | -13.1% |
|                                                                                           |   | Cantaloupe |   | 1,079 | 900 | -16.6% |   | 5,426 | 5,259 | -3.1% |
|                                                                                           |   | Carrot |   | 1,653 | 1,311 | -20.7% |   | 7,451 | 5,242 | -29.6% |
|                                                                                           | Field Crops |   | 438,410 | 851,856 | 94.3% |   | 274,132 | 369,166 | 34.7% |
|                                                                                           |   | Field Corn |   | 77,852 | 76,099 | -2.3% |   | 136,661 | 137,162 | 0.4% |
|                                                                                           |   | Soybean |   | 151,119 | 330,715 | 118.8% |   | 53,423 | 115,913 | 117.0% |
|                                                                                           |   | Non-durum Wheat |   | 89,475 | 367,976 | 311.3% |   | 14,606 | 66,818 | 357.5% |
|                                                                                           |   | Cotton |   | 17,227 | 13,713 | -20.4% |   | 24,330 | 15,219 | -37.4% |
|                                                                                           |   | Grain Sorghum |   | 45,698 | 41,725 | -8.7% |   | 12,891 | 14,469 | 12.2% |
|                                                                                           |   | Other Sunflower |   | 12,650 | 9,016 | -28.7% |   | 14,586 | 11,593 | -20.5% |
|                                                                                           | Miscellaneous Kinds |   | 4,678 | 3,842 | -17.9% |   | 42,895 | 51,591 | 20.3% |
|                                                                                           |   | Flower |   | 233 | 346 | 48.5% |   | 26,069 | 32,651 | 25.2% |
|                                                                                           |   | Tree and Shrub |   | 165 | 104 | -37.0% |   | 3,040 | 3,153 | 3.7% |
|                                                                                           |   | Sugar Beet |   | 572 | 443 | -22.6% |   | 2,647 | 2,277 | -14.0% |
|                                                                                           |   | Tobacco |   | 1 | 2 | 100.0% |   | 607 | 1,032 | 70.0% |
| BY REGION                                                                                      |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
|                                                                                           | North America |   | 258,823 | 477,881 | 84.6% |   | 200,874 | 268,597 | 33.7% |
|                                                                                           | European Union |   | 130,502 | 131,077 | 0.4% |   | 212,736 | 246,341 | 15.8% |
|                                                                                           | Other Asia 1/ |   | 109,938 | 271,619 | 147.1% |   | 77,750 | 114,902 | 47.8% |
| BY COUNTRY                                                                                     |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
|                                                                                           | Mexico |   | 188,863 | 345,776 | 83.1% |   | 118,093 | 175,155 | 48.3% |
|                                                                                           | Japan |   | 48,111 | 262,321 | 445.2% |   | 54,430 | 97,631 | 79.4% |
|                                                                                           | Canada |   | 69,960 | 132,105 | 88.8% |   | 82,781 | 93,442 | 12.9% |
|                                                                                           | Italy |   | 39,233 | 46,513 | 18.6% |   | 77,266 | 93,078 | 20.5% |
|                                                                                           | Argentina |   | 12,467 | 22,278 | 78.7% |   | 29,510 | 51,505 | 74.5% |
|                                                                                           | Netherlands |   | 27,999 | 15,336 | -45.2% |   | 32,588 | 33,965 | 4.2% |
|                                                                                           | France |   | 13,344 | 16,302 | 22.2% |   | 27,024 | 28,831 | 6.7% |
|                                                                                           | Greece |   | 12,183 | 11,327 | -7.0% |   | 23,224 | 27,099 | 16.7% |
|                                                                                           | Spain |   | 21,403 | 12,911 | -39.7% |   | 20,590 | 19,528 | -5.2% |
|                                                                                           | United Kingdom |   | 5,363 | 13,998 | 161.0% |   | 10,831 | 17,745 | 63.8% |
|                                                                                           | Saudi Arabia |   | 2,828 | 5,948 | 110.3% |   | 8,513 | 14,647 | 72.1% |
|                                                                                           | Germany |   | 5,801 | 6,274 | 8.2% |   | 9,345 | 11,270 | 20.6% |
|                                                                                           | Australia |   | 4,873 | 4,510 | -7.4% |   | 8,464 | 9,862 | 16.5% |
|                                                                                           | South Korea |   | 6,269 | 5,130 | -18.2% |   | 9,360 | 7,961 | -14.9% |
|                                                                                           | Egypt |   | 1,138 | 29,309 | 2475.5% |   | 4,308 | 7,884 | 83.0% |
|                                                                                           | Philippines |   | 935 | 39,793 | 4155.9% |   | 2,391 | 7,672 | 220.9% |
|                                                                                           | Turkey |   | 1,811 | 3,854 | 112.8% |   | 4,945 | 7,573 | 53.1% |
|                                                                                           | Brazil |   | 1,033 | 3,648 | 253.1% |   | 6,158 | 7,392 | 20.0% |
|                                                                                           | Chile |   | 1,904 | 2,803 | 47.2% |   | 5,180 | 6,972 | 34.6% |
|                                                                                           | South Africa |   | 788 | 2,443 | 210.0% |   | 2,996 | 5,939 | 98.2% |
|                                                                                           | Portugal |   | 1,212 | 1,953 | 61.1% |   | 4,004 | 5,848 | 46.1% |
|                                                                                           | China |   | 53,818 | 2,116 | -96.1% |   | 9,775 | 4,776 | -51.1% |
|                                                                                           | Colombia |   | 5,870 | 1,615 | -72.5% |   | 4,502 | 4,008 | -11.0% |
|                                                                                           | Peru |   | 1,133 | 2,275 | 100.8% |   | 2,163 | 2,943 | 36.1% |
|                                                                                           | Austria |   | 1,078 | 1,363 | 26.4% |   | 3,260 | 2,727 | -16.3% |
|                                                                                           | Venezuela |   | 683 | 485 | -29.0% |   | 3,198 | 2,490 | -22.1% |
|                                                                                           | United Arab Emirates | 487 | 234 | -52.0% |   | 5,087 | 2,400 | -52.8% |
|                                                                                           | Belgium |   | 508 | 2,381 | 368.7% |   | 583 | 2,353 | 303.6% |
|                                                                                           | Taiwan |   | 858 | 893 | 4.1% |   | 1,980 | 2,272 | 14.7% |
|                                                                                           | Hong Kong |   | 875 | 1,160 | 32.6% |   | 2,159 | 2,261 | 4.7% |
|                                                                                           | Israel |   | 1,553 | 563 | -63.7% |   | 3,129 | 2,207 | -29.5% |
|                                                                                           | Pakistan |   | 1,509 | 1,113 | -26.2% |   | 2,947 | 2,110 | -28.4% |
|                                                                                           | Ecuador |   | 642 | 611 | -4.8% |   | 1,518 | 2,051 | 35.1% |
|                                                                                           |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
| \1 Other Asia region        includes China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Macau, and        Taiwan. |
| Source: Compiled from U.S.        Bureau of Census records.                                    |   |   |   |   |
| Prepared by USDA/FAS/COTSD                                                                     | July 1997 |

|                                      |
|-------------------------------------------|
| *Last modified: Wednesday, June 24, 1998* |