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**July 1997-June1998 Highlights**

**GeneralTrade Summary**

At the close of the1997/98 marketing year (MY), total U.S. planting seed exports arevalued at $886 million, 1-percent lower than the previousmarketing year. However, in terms of volume, the United Satesexported about 24-percent less seed in MY 1997/98, down to 903thousand metric tons from 1.18 million metric tons in MY 1996/97.Still, the value of U.S. planting seed exports for MY 1997/98remains 26-percent higher than exports for MY 1996/97, while thevolume of U.S. seed exports are 36 percent greater for the sameperiod.

During MY 1997/98, exports ofgrass, forage, pulses, and vegetable seeds increased above theprevious marketing year, with the exception of field crop seeds.Field crop seeds, which accounted for over 40 percent of thesales value of all U.S. planting seed exports in each of the pastthree marketing years, dropped to $376 million during MY 1997/98from $411 million in the previous marketing year. Most notably,field crop seeds for MY 1997/98 recorded significant decreases inexport sales of soybean seed and non-durum wheat seed. 

U.S. soybean seed exports dropped57 percent in one year, from 375,000 metric tons to 159,000metric tons in MY 1997/98. The drop was primarily due to a fallin Mexico's purchases of U.S. soybean seed from 307,000 metrictons in MY 1996/97 to 89,000 metric tons in MY 1997/98,overshadowing increased soybean seed sales to Canada, Columbia,France and Italy. 

U.S. exports of non-durum wheatseed fell 44 percent, from 437,000 metric tons in MY 1996/97 to243,000 metric tons in MY 1997/98 due to smaller purchases byJapan and Canada. Japan purchased about 231,000 metric tons,while Canada purchased 117,000 metric tons of U.S. non-durumwheat seed in MY 1996/97, representing nearly 83 percent of allU.S. non-durum wheat seed sales. During MY 1997/98, Japan andCanada's purchases fell 80 percent to 25,000 metric tons and38,000 metric tons, respectively. 

Of the top five importing nationsof U.S. planting seeds for MY 1997/98, only Argentina andCanada's purchases of U.S. seeds continue to climb above previousmarketing years. Argentina imported $89 million of U.S. seeds inMY 1997/98, up 61 percent from $55 million in MY 1996/97. 

This growth in seed imports isessentially due to Argentina's heightened purchases of U.S. cornseed.

Argentina increased U.S. cornseed imports from 9,000 metric tons to 25,000 metric tons duringthis period. Despite a fall in Canada's importation of non-durumwheat, Canadian purchases of grass, pulses, forage, andmiscellaneous seeds grew, edging Canada's imports of U.S. seedupward to $110 million in MY 1997/98 from $108 million in MY1996/97.

Mexico, Italy, and Japan'spurchases of U.S. planting seeds declined during MY 1997/98 afterpeaking in MY 1996/97. Mexico's purchases of U.S. seed dropped 27percent, from $201 million to $146 million for MYs 1996/97 and1997/98. Italy's purchases fell by 14 percent, from $95 millionto $82 million, while Japan's purchases dropped 39 percent from$108 million to $66 million, over the same period.

 

 

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| *Last modified: Tuesday, September 01, 1998* |