October, 2002Preliminary estimates
for MY 2001/02 world planting seed trade are available for the first
time this month. Trade in vegetable seed, which accounts for the
largest share of the value of internationally traded seed, continued
to slide, as did flower, grass and grain seed trade. It appears to
have been at least offset by increases in the value of corn and
"other forage" (H.S. chapter 120929) seed trade. The total value of
world seed trade in MY 2001/02 is estimated at $3.8 billion –
roughly the same as last year. Total Intra-EU seed trade was roughly
$1.3 billion (or 35% of world trade), unchanged from last year. The
United States accounted for 23 percent of world exports (up from 21
percent in MY 2000/01) and 11 percent of world imports (essentially
unchanged from MY 2000/01). Total U.S. seed exports finished the
marketing year up 10 percent.
|
World
Planting Seed Trade by Type and MY in $ millions
|
|
|
SEED
|
1998
|
1999
|
2000
|
2001
|
%
Change
|
%
of total
|
|
BEANS
|
170.17
|
182.44
|
148.36
|
163.17
|
10%
|
4%
|
|
BEET
|
411.00
|
319.73
|
328.47
|
318.74
|
-3%
|
8%
|
|
CORN
|
718.61
|
689.40
|
720.96
|
780.05
|
8%
|
20%
|
|
FLOWERS
|
215.39
|
206.58
|
195.48
|
181.77
|
-7%
|
5%
|
|
FORAGE OTHER
|
165.27
|
164.75
|
176.97
|
217.42
|
23%
|
6%
|
|
GRAIN
|
146.62
|
147.91
|
141.43
|
124.36
|
-12%
|
3%
|
|
GRASS
|
438.24
|
409.41
|
350.75
|
319.57
|
-9%
|
8%
|
|
NESOI
|
197.18
|
194.97
|
191.56
|
191.32
|
0%
|
5%
|
|
OIL/FIBER
|
253.43
|
215.41
|
160.80
|
174.61
|
9%
|
5%
|
|
POTATOES
|
486.05
|
408.03
|
309.19
|
362.66
|
17%
|
9%
|
|
VEGETABLES
|
1100.94
|
1095.52
|
1067.27
|
991.83
|
-7%
|
26%
|
|
MY 2001/02 Trade Data Highlights
The world’s second largest exporter, the Netherlands, saw total
seed exports decline by about 8 percent. Vegetable seeds are the
Netherlands’ most important seed export, accounting for about 45
percent of total Dutch seed exports. In MY 2001/02, the Netherlands’
vegetable seed exports were down by over $30 million, and though
still the world leader in vegetable seed exports at 26 percent of
the total, its share was down from 28 percent in 2000/01. U.S.
vegetable seed exports, by contrast, were up almost $10 million this
year, and the U.S. exports’ share of total world trade in this
segment grew from 20.5 percent to 23 percent. The U.S. can thank
Latin America (especially Mexico) for the growth in vegetable seed
exports. In Mexico, U.S. share of vegetable seed imports went from
72 percent to 85 percent. Israel, Turkey, and fellow EU members were
major markets that cut back substantially on Dutch vegetable seed
imports this year. Spain, the world’s third largest importer of
vegetable seeds at nearly $70 million, was one country where the
world’s top vegetable seed exporters did battle – vegetable seed
imports from the Netherlands fell by almost $12 million this year;
vegetable seed imports from the U.S. were up by over $ 4 million.
Sub-Saharan Africa, excluding the Republic of South Africa,
imported $64 million in planting seed from outside the region, more
than double the $27 million imported in MY 2000/01, but still below
the $95 million imported in MY 98/99. On closer inspection,
Zimbabwe’s corn seed imports from South Africa explain most of this
movement -- $29 million in ‘01/02, $57 million in ‘98/99 and
relatively insignificant in between. Between March and June, South
Africa shipped 6,000 tons of corn seed per month to Zimbabwe at the
relatively low average price of 17 U.S. cents/kg. This, by the way,
also explains the sudden re-appearance of South Africa as a major
seed exporter after two years absence. Excluding Zimbabwe’s corn
seed imports, the region’s external imports still grew 26 percent in
value terms in MY 2001/02, totaling roughly $34 million. South
Africa dominates the market (35 percent of world seed exports to
other Sub-Saharan Africa other than corn to Zimbabwe), but the U.S.
is well placed at 21 percent of total external seed imports. U.S.
seed exports to the region doubled this year. Within the region,
there are several growing import markets worthy of note: Angola’s
vegetable seed imports have risen steadily from under $500,000 in
‘98/99 to over $3.5 million in ‘01/02. South Africa, Denmark and
Brazil have benefited but the U.S. has not exported vegetable seeds
to Angola in recent years. Kenya’s imports of corn seed from the
U.S., which seem to alternate years, came in strong in ‘01/02.
Sierra Leone bought an impressive supply of grass seed from Germany,
and Somalia imported sorghum seed from the U.S.
