U.S. Planting Seed Import Highlights

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

July-January 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 76,253 78,251 78,866 0.8% 125,780 154,391 176,968 14.6%

BY KIND

Grasses 14,110 19,449 18,794 -3.4% 14,755 23,231 26,033 12.1%

Red Fescue 8,670 10,727 11,219 4.6% 7,597 11,543 11,663 1.0%

Other Wheatgrass 0 19 1,099 5684.2% 0 25 4,567 18168.0%

Perennial Ryegrass 281 3,225 1,131 -64.9% 1,223 4,653 1,736 -62.7%

Crested Wheatgrass 0 48 531 1006.3% 0 93 1,309 1307.5%

Timothy 2,198 1,831 2,194 19.8% 1,498 1,037 1,198 15.5%

Unhulled Bermudagrass 150 305 486 59.3% 64 102 812 696.1%

Other Bromegrass 0 246 360 46.3% 0 359 743 107.0%

Tall Fescue 207 316 460 45.6% 248 451 531 17.7%

Meadow Bromegrass 0 26 127 388.5% 0 42 307 631.0%

Wild Rye 0 0 85 NA 0 0 271 NA 

Annual Ryegrass 102 167 218 30.5% 71 192 225 17.2%

Kentucky Bluegrass 555 377 85 -77.5% 820 587 123 -79.0%

Other Forages 8,173 4,150 8,894 114.3% 13,397 7,604 17,122 125.2%

Uncertified Alfalfa 2,369 1,228 2,732 122.5% 4,869 2,911 7,047 142.1%

Certified Alfalfa 558 429 1,076 150.8% 1,202 986 2,460 149.5%

White & Ladino Clover 491 369 499 35.2% 1,412 875 1,242 41.9%

Sweet Clover 1,237 442 629 42.3% 896 375 797 112.5%

Double Cut Red Clover 0 59 370 527.1% 0 124 717 478.2%

Other Red Clover 0 154 360 133.8% 0 234 708 202.6%

Birdsfoot Trefoil 189 41 158 285.4% 732 137 705 414.6%

Pulses 32,358 28,402 28,276 -0.4% 13,250 14,510 13,485 -7.1%

Gram Bean 5,256 5,794 4,406 -24.0% 2,862 4,205 3,595 -14.5%

Pea 7,004 10,444 8,395 -19.6% 2,055 3,388 2,786 -17.8%

Lentil 1,278 2,321 4,260 83.5% 690 1,029 1,505 46.3%

Other Kidney Bean 484 702 1,023 45.7% 273 575 758 31.8%

Small Red Bean 687 862 474 -45.0% 366 575 311 -45.9%

Vegetables 3,346 4,594 5,714 24.4% 41,797 51,426 67,634 31.5%

Tomato 154 174 255 46.6% 13,662 15,190 18,881 24.3%

Pepper 60 72 185 156.9% 5,141 8,181 10,473 28.0%

Watermelon 126 213 68 -68.1% 3,138 3,698 4,763 28.8%

Pumpkin 675 1,458 1,822 25.0% 1,405 3,220 4,739 47.2%

Cantaloupe 30 53 98 84.9% 2,114 3,287 4,640 41.2%

Onion 66 65 117 80.0% 3,498 2,872 3,751 30.6%

Cucumber 16 21 31 47.6% 1,237 1,611 2,688 66.9%

Cauliflower 13 10 28 180.0% 884 823 2,392 190.6%

Other Melons 103 93 137 47.3% 1,437 1,615 1,996 23.6%

Squash 47 27 137 407.4% 1,107 901 1,754 94.7%

Carrot 34 26 73 180.8% 785 451 1,370 203.8%

Broccoli 7 10 42 320.0% 722 381 1,363 257.7%

Spinach 174 377 413 9.5% 676 1,154 1,337 15.9%

Cabbage 8 18 20 11.1% 1,017 1,655 1,283 -22.5%

Mushroom Spawn 137 197 766 288.8% 276 281 1,073 281.9%

Field Crops 17,532 20,888 15,374 -26.4% 11,778 18,515 11,535 -37.7%

Field Corn 7,277 12,916 6,115 -52.7% 9,267 15,736 7,304 -53.6%

Rape and Colza 266 205 566 NA 133 691 1,575 NA 

Cotton 715 0 1,331 NA 147 0 1,007 NA 

Non-durum Wheat 4,593 5,619 3,017 -46.3% 818 1,286 601 -53.3%

Miscellaneous Kinds 735 768 1,813 136.1% 30,802 39,106 41,159 5.2%

Flower 285 359 465 29.5% 27,920 34,250 33,602 -1.9%

Tree and Shrub 168 152 111 -27.0% 1,063 2,411 3,717 54.2%

Sugar Beet 18 8 1,048 13000.0% 109 146 1,104 656.2%

BY REGION

North America 65,554 59,670 60,531 1.44% 51,165 54,816 66,835 21.9%

Other Asia \1 3,151 4,129 3,955 -4.2% 23,805 29,471 35,641 20.9%

European Union 2,109 2,153 3,324 54.4% 26,112 32,253 34,414 6.7%

BY COUNTRY

Canada 59,168 58,558 59,123 1.0% 42,016 45,607 51,617 13.2%

China 2,958 3,928 3,596 -8.5% 13,425 17,030 20,962 23.1%

Netherlands 969 648 781 20.5% 15,242 15,957 16,494 3.4%

Mexico 6,386 1,112 1,407 26.5% 9,150 9,209 15,217 65.2%

Japan 35 56 192 242.9% 8,117 8,817 9,246 4.9%

Chile 288 3,286 517 -84.3% 3,751 10,024 6,591 -34.2%

Australia 782 1,802 3,366 86.8% 2,229 3,622 4,951 36.7%

India 1,307 1,756 2,364 34.6% 3,343 3,892 4,862 24.9%

Germany 118 168 195 16.1% 3,426 4,275 4,823 12.8%

Taiwan 52 63 73 15.9% 1,453 2,884 4,538 57.4%

France 129 136 341 150.7% 1,996 2,358 4,407 86.9%

Israel 49 101 50 -50.5% 3,535 3,786 4,198 10.9%

Guatemala 14 13 34 161.5% 4,096 3,007 3,718 23.6%

New Zealand 1,338 2,782 1,966 -29.3% 2,802 4,426 3,675 -17.0%

Costa Rica 15 17 33 94.1% 283 2,005 3,196 59.4%

Denmark 293 838 392 -53.2% 2,157 4,238 3,163 -25.4%

Italy 325 226 1,112 392.0% 1,429 1,843 3,157 71.3%

Argentina 150 115 845 634.8% 153 195 2,448 1155.4%

United Kingdom 171 112 101 -9.8% 1,616 3,184 2,038 -36.0%

Thailand 228 411 380 -7.5% 773 1,777 1,496 -15.8%

South Africa 63 37 191 416.2% 529 273 788 188.6%

South Korea 8 11 20 81.8% 472 553 699 26.4%

Vietnam --- 4 20 400.0% 7 336 560 66.7%

Indonesia 1 --- --- NA 183 439 505 15.0% ---

Hungary 358 433 54 -87.5% 653 883 458 -48.1%

Peru 554 775 63 -91.9% 672 1,074 383 -64.3%

Burma 8 342 566 65.5% 11 222 328 47.7%

Brazil 21 6 11 83.3% 91 93 251 169.9%

Nicaragua 0 0 184 NA 0 0 225 NA 

Syria 0 0 27 NA 0 0 221 NA 

Spain --- 1 308 30700.0% 49 34 200 488.2%

Hong Kong 97 71 74 4.2% 339 187 197 5.3%

Kenya 1 --- 48 NA 780 580 175 -69.8%

Turkey 37 60 22 -63.3% 124 198 141 -28.8%

Egypt 33 95 84 -11.6% 126 222 137 -38.3%

Russia --- --- 70 NA 4 1 125 12400.0%

\1 Other Asia region includes China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Macau, and Taiwan.

--- denotes less than 500 kilograms.

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

Prepared by USDA/FAS/COTSD

March 1998

--- NA