| **U.S. Planting Seed Import Highlights**                                                       |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| **July-June        Marketing Year 1997/98 Compared to 1995/96 and 1996/97**                    |
| **July**                                                                                       | **1995/96** | **1996/97** | **1997/98** | **% Change** | **1995/96** | **1996/97** | **1997/98** | **% Change** |
|                                                                                           | **Metric Tons** |
| **ALL SEEDS**                                                                                  | **7,363** | **7,893** | **7,226** | **-8.5%** | **15,326** | **21,775** | **22,314** | **2.5%** |
| **BY KIND**                                                                                    |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
| **Grasses**                                                                                    | **1,791** | **1,928** | **2,384** | **23.7%** | **1,603** | **2,125** | **2,700** | **27.1%** |
| Red Fescue                                                                                     | 1,298 | 1,380 | 1,867 | 35.3% | 1,054 | 1,460 | 1,878 | 28.6% |
| Unhulled Bermudarass                                                                           | 43 | 15 | 95 | 533.3% | 11 | 5 | 168 | 3260.0% |
| Timothy                                                                                        | 176 | 52 | 171 | 228.8% | 113 | 35 | 124 | 254.3% |
| Perennial Ryegrass                                                                             | 19 | 338 | 109 | -67.8% | 26 | 413 | 123 | -70.2% |
| **Other Forages**                                                                              | **447** | **708** | **493** | **-30.4%** | **935** | **1,212** | **1,014** | **-16.3%** |
| Uncertified Alfalfa                                                                            | 150 | 209 | 175 | -16.3% | 262 | 493 | 449 | -8.9% |
| Sweet Clover                                                                                   | 0 | 18 | 102 | 466.7% | 0 | 9 | 109 | 1111.1% |
| Certified Alfalfa                                                                              | 0 | 22 | 40 | 81.8% | 0 | 60 | 106 | 76.7% |
| **Pulses**                                                                                     | **4,159** | **2,236** | **2,158** | **-3.5%** | **1,899** | **1,365** | **1,378** | **1.0%** |
| Gram Bean                                                                                      | 1,028 | 979 | 871 | -11.0% | 487 | 743 | 742 | -0.1% |
| Pea                                                                                            | 633 | 525 | 381 | -27.4% | 209 | 206 | 157 | -23.8% |
| **Vegetables**                                                                                 | **501** | **646** | **909** | **40.7%** | **5,213** | **7,715** | **10,851** | **40.6%** |
| Pepper                                                                                         | 24 | 14 | 16 | 14.3% | 762 | 1,128 | 1,990 | 76.4% |
| Tomato                                                                                         | 17 | 4 | 23 | 475.0% | 1,500 | 862 | 1,612 | 87.0% |
| Pumpkin                                                                                        | 141 | 178 | 433 | 143.3% | 280 | 488 | 1,137 | 133.0% |
| Cucumber                                                                                       | 2 | 11 | 12 | 9.1% | 213 | 545 | 1,053 | 93.2% |
| Cauliflower                                                                                    | --- | 5 | 14 | 180.0% | 6 | 370 | 900 | 143.2% |
| Cantaloupe                                                                                     | 2 | 11 | 12 | 9.1% | 88 | 798 | 741 | -7.1% |
| **Field Crops**                                                                                | **399** | **2,294** | **1,093** | **-52.4%** | **129** | **2,691** | **737** | **-72.6%** |
| Field Corn                                                                                     | 5 | 1,753 | 576 | -67.1% | 7 | 2,456 | 575 | -76.6% |
| **Miscellaneous        Kinds**                                                                 | **67** | **81** | **190** | **134.6%** | **5,547** | **6,667** | **5,633** | **-15.5%** |
| Flower                                                                                         | 26 | 24 | 29 | 20.8% | 5,071 | 6,034 | 5,311 | -12.0% |
| Sugar Beet                                                                                     | --- | 3 | 159 | 5200.0% | 31 | 62 | 109 | 75.8% |
| Tree and Shrub                                                                                 | 12 | 18 | 1 | -94.4% | 71 | 99 | 78 | -21.2% |
| **BY REGION**                                                                                  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
| North America                                                                                  | 5,537 | 3,763 | 4,895 | 30.1% | 3,392 | 4,284 | 6,966 | 62.6% |
| European Union                                                                                 | 210 | 149 | 231 | 55.0% | 3,750 | 5,101 | 4,155 | -18.5% |
| Other Asia \1                                                                                  | 651 | 489 | 585 | 19.6% | 2,350 | 2,307 | 2,764 | 19.8% |
| **BY COUNTRY**                                                                                 |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
| Canada                                                                                         | 5,449 | 3,664 | 4,579 | 25.0% | 2,993 | 2,709 | 3,703 | 36.7% |
| Mexico                                                                                         | 87 | 99 | 317 | 220.2% | 399 | 1,575 | 3,263 | 107.2% |
| Chile                                                                                          | 67 | 1,867 | 152 | -91.9% | 1,275 | 4,985 | 2,351 | -52.8% |
| Japan                                                                                          | 5 | 15 | 104 | 593.3% | 1,552 | 1,399 | 1,475 | 5.4% |
| Netherlands                                                                                    | 111 | 39 | 72 | 84.6% | 2,000 | 2,592 | 1,463 | -43.6% |
| Australia                                                                                      | 233 | 309 | 635 | 105.5% | 742 | 986 | 1,189 | 20.6% |
| India                                                                                          | 106 | 166 | 186 | 12.0% | 1,015 | 291 | 1,026 | 252.6% |
| China                                                                                          | 643 | 447 | 464 | 3.8% | 581 | 719 | 961 | 33.7% |
| Israel                                                                                         | 5 | 25 | 13 | -48.0% | 433 | 514 | 907 | 76.5% |
| France                                                                                         | 43 | 5 | 38 | 660.0% | 247 | 505 | 768 | 52.1% |
| Thailand                                                                                       | 23 | 45 | 17 | -62.2% | 310 | 912 | 735 | -19.4% |
| Germany                                                                                        | 2 | 48 | 1 | -97.9% | 447 | 728 | 734 | 0.8% |
| New Zealand                                                                                    | 324 | 573 | 256 | -55.3% | 625 | 869 | 566 | -34.9% |
| United Kingdom                                                                                 | 1 | 3 | 1 | -66.7% | 274 | 506 | 525 | 3.8% |
| Guatemala                                                                                      | --- | --- | --- | NA | 698 | 679 | 451 | -33.6% |
| Denmark                                                                                        | 33 | 13 | 3 | -76.9% | 587 | 494 | 384 | -22.3% |
| South Africa                                                                                   | 21 | 3 | 36 | 1100.0% | 271 | 50 | 323 | 546.0% |
| Syria                                                                                          | 0 | 0 | 27 | NA | 0 | 0 | 221 | NA |
| Italy                                                                                          | 20 | 40 | 57 | 42.5% | 164 | 185 | 190 | 2.7% |
| Taiwan                                                                                         | 2 | 14 | 2 | -85.7% | 178 | 166 | 166 | 0.0% |
| Indonesia                                                                                      | --- | --- | --- | NA | 47 | 40 | 126 | 215.0% |
| South Korea                                                                                    | 1 | 0 | 1 | NA | 16 | 0 | 106 | NA |
| Costa Rica                                                                                     | 4 | 0 | 1 | NA | 20 | 5 | 104 | 1980.0% |
| Kenya                                                                                          | --- | --- | --- | NA | 140 | 120 | 100 | -16.7% |
| \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                                                              |
| October 1997                                                                                   |

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