U.S. Planting Seed Import Highlights

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

July-April 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 168,892 193,444 223,302 15.4% 240,492 305,782 367,909 20.3%

BY KIND

Grasses 21,580 33,553 31,616 -5.8% 23,408 41,009 42,382 3.3%

Red Fescue 13,358 18,576 18,428 -0.8% 12,102 20,221 19,556 -3.3%

Wheatgrass 658 1,267 2,048 61.6% 1,117 2,349 7,561 221.9%

Perennial Ryegrass 564 7,240 3,439 -52.5% 1,578 10,121 4,401 -56.5%

Timothy 2,917 2,415 3,820 58.2% 2,037 1,479 2,340 58.2%

Bromegrass 1,185 1,006 838 -16.7% 1,853 1,535 2,050 33.6%

Unhulled Bermudagrass 281 320 521 62.8% 152 130 844 549.2%

Tall Fescue 304 493 550 11.6% 397 709 680 -4.1%

Annual Ryegrass 147 284 395 39.1% 136 397 507 27.7%

Wild Rye 0 14 152 NA 0 70 395 NA 

Kentucky Bluegrass 1,081 596 162 -72.8% 1,775 1,088 230 -78.9%

Hulled Bermudagrass 63 81 65 -19.8% 28 174 157 -9.8%

Other Forages 11,767 7,681 14,264 85.7% 19,635 15,323 27,732 81.0%

Uncertified Alfalfa 3,256 2,622 4,373 66.8% 6,928 6,341 11,367 79.3%

Red Clover 3,268 1,085 1,785 64.5% 4,325 1,820 3,454 89.8%

Certified Alfalfa 796 970 1,358 40.0% 1,727 2,283 3,207 40.5%

White & Ladino Clover 566 526 698 32.7% 1,632 1,366 1,748 28.0%

Sweet Clover 2,031 733 996 35.9% 1,487 684 1,329 94.3%

Birdsfoot Trefoil 326 88 219 148.9% 1,176 360 1,097 204.7%

Pulses 47,764 48,171 48,928 1.6% 20,070 23,417 22,319 -4.7%

Pea 15,242 22,227 21,473 -3.4% 4,454 7,195 6,840 -4.9%

Gram Bean 9,384 10,090 6,984 -30.8% 5,459 7,029 5,811 -17.3%

Lentil 2,564 3,567 5,800 62.6% 1,266 1,579 2,052 30.0%

Vegetables 5,278 10,718 11,656 8.8% 60,419 79,757 97,643 22.4%

Tomato 213 214 331 54.7% 18,811 19,477 25,243 29.6%

Pepper 78 95 208 118.9% 7,600 12,637 14,284 13.0%

Pumpkin 1,572 2,816 2,775 -1.5% 3,650 6,094 6,986 14.6%

Watermelon 196 320 95 -70.3% 5,216 6,485 6,436 -0.8%

Onion 119 327 237 -27.5% 4,462 4,735 5,581 17.9%

Cantaloupe 35 68 115 69.1% 2,553 4,189 5,559 32.7%

Sweet Corn 35 332 2,597 682.2% 141 475 4,284 801.9%

Cucumber 25 32 38 18.8% 1,460 2,020 3,151 56.0%

Other Melons 144 139 171 23.0% 2,014 2,337 2,872 22.9%

Cauliflower 15 12 30 150.0% 1,154 1,136 2,841 150.1%

Squash 80 67 166 147.8% 1,653 1,808 2,449 35.5%

Carrot 44 35 91 160.0% 986 818 2,181 166.6%

Broccoli 13 21 59 181.0% 1,303 1,126 2,054 82.4%

Field Crops 81,511 92,052 114,248 24.1% 72,045 92,957 124,978 34.4%

Field Corn 41,350 51,848 67,952 31.1% 54,111 74,760 104,102 39.2%

Rape and Colza 5,381 873 2,490 185.2% 3,803 3,348 6,840 104.3%

Soybean 5,495 11,561 10,448 -9.6% 3,132 6,499 5,611 -13.7%

Non-durum Wheat 14,034 12,120 11,100 -8.4% 2,989 2,829 2,127 -24.8%

Barley 7,155 7,486 9,161 22.4% 1,413 1,384 1,564 13.0%

Cotton 762 183 1,481 709.3% 218 241 1,230 410.4%

Confection Sunflower 2,304 800 1,157 44.6% 4,927 2,115 1,224 -42.1%

Durum Wheat 3,244 4,427 4,321 -2.4% 800 841 1,057 25.7%

Miscellaneous Kinds 993 1,269 2,590 104.1% 44,915 53,319 52,856 -0.9%

Flower 420 573 745 30.0% 40,867 46,693 43,679 -6.5%

Tree and Shrub 191 206 142 -31.1% 1,551 3,204 4,366 36.3%

Sugar Beet 22 107 1,418 1225.2% 306 286 1,210 323.1%

BY REGION

South America 33,296 50,163 72,409 44.35% 56,239 78,937 116,516 47.6%

North America 118,515 117,078 122,868 4.95% 81,601 94,675 110,372 16.6%

European Union 4,583 4,920 6,018 22.3% 38,378 49,313 49,068 -0.5%

BY COUNTRY

Canada 111,462 114,958 120,819 5.1% 71,321 83,057 93,154 12.2%

Chile 22,064 31,435 40,466 28.7% 39,293 57,966 71,681 23.7%

Argentina 9,796 16,665 29,796 78.8% 14,541 17,461 40,979 134.7%

China 5,900 6,441 6,606 2.6% 17,728 21,722 27,925 28.6%

Netherlands 1,564 1,447 1,366 -5.6% 20,996 23,064 21,756 -5.7%

Mexico 7,053 2,121 2,049 -3.4% 10,280 11,618 17,219 48.2%

Japan 54 157 357 127.4% 12,982 12,253 12,108 -1.2%

France 1,305 1,108 1,445 30.4% 5,064 7,896 9,775 23.8%

India 1,642 2,476 3,771 52.3% 5,358 6,300 7,976 26.6%

Germany 209 268 324 20.9% 4,581 6,417 6,937 8.1%

Australia 1,001 2,805 4,078 45.4% 2,968 5,519 6,670 20.9%

New Zealand 1,851 6,582 4,373 -33.6% 3,687 10,042 6,535 -34.9%

Israel 74 154 90 -41.6% 4,164 4,474 6,010 34.3%

Guatemala 15 14 41 192.9% 5,876 4,525 5,444 20.3%

Taiwan 106 92 81 -12.0% 2,110 4,604 5,010 8.8%

Italy 419 468 1,336 185.5% 2,039 2,596 4,036 55.5%

Costa Rica 121 62 160 158.1% 507 2,408 3,713 54.2%

Denmark 740 1,292 555 -57.0% 3,323 5,283 3,514 -33.5%

Thailand 463 576 516 -10.4% 3,255 4,090 3,187 -22.1%

Brazil 532 1,167 1,996 71.0% 1,049 2,100 2,944 40.2%

United Kingdom 204 249 520 108.8% 2,024 3,550 2,457 -30.8%

South Africa 71 225 352 56.4% 554 604 1,947 222.4%

South Korea 10 14 27 92.9% 550 713 751 5.3%

Hungary 360 563 109 -80.6% 684 1,118 692 -38.1%

Indonesia 1 --- --- NA 230 481 594 23.5% ---

Vietnam 1 4 20 400.0% 25 336 560 66.7%

Peru 655 814 64 -92.1% 786 1,335 553 -58.6%

Burma 8 342 608 77.8% 11 222 347 56.3%

Uruguay 10 --- 78 NA 37 2 329 16350.0% ---

Belgium 117 34 123 261.8% 108 105 313 198.1%

Hong Kong 132 194 108 -44.3% 484 486 310 -36.2% ---

Turkey 324 123 81 -34.1% 565 429 234 -45.5% ---

Nicaragua 0 0 184 NA 0 0 225 NA 

Syria 0 0 27 NA 0 0 221 NA 

Spain 3 45 313 595.6% 75 87 213 144.8%

--- denotes less than 500 kilograms.

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

Prepared by USDA/FAS/COTSD

June 1998

--- NA