World trade in vegetable seed was worth about $1 billion in MY 2001/02, or roughly 27 percent of the total value of international planting seed trade. This is down slightly from last year, due largely to a contraction in Dutch exports to other European countries. U.S. vegetable seed exports, however, were up almost $10 million this year, primarily to Mexico.

The United States is the undisputed foreign supplier of vegetable seeds in the Northern Western Hemisphere and the Andean Pact countries, which account for about 15 percent of total trade in vegetable seeds (NAFTA amounts to 12 percent alone). The EU accounts for 45 percent of vegetable seed trade, most of which is internal, well established and difficult to break into. Spain, the world’s third largest importer of vegetable seeds at nearly $70 million, was an exception this year – vegetable seed imports from the Netherlands fell by almost $12 million but were up by over $ 4 million from the United States.

The Asia-Pacific region, which accounts for 20 percent of world vegetable seeds, appears to be an area where U.S. exports could grow significantly. Japan’s vegetable seed import market is evenly divided between imports from the United States, the EU and elsewhere, while Korean and Chinese imports are dominated by Japan.

U.S. vegetable seed exports (H.S. Chapter 120991) were over $205 million in MY 2001/02, up 3 percent from the previous marketing year. July through October 2002 exports are up 9 percent from the same period last year. Tomato, onion, pepper and cucumber seeds account for some 40 percent of U.S. vegetable seed exports. Mexico is the largest market for all of those, but Egypt and Syria are big buyers of U.S. cucumber seed and Israel and Guatemala are important markets for pepper seed. The rising stars among U.S. vegetable seed exports are broccoli (to Japan) and Spinach (to Spain last MY and to Chile so far this MY). Brocoli seed exports grew 30 percent last MY to $13 million and are up 29 percent in MY 02/03 through October. Spinach seed exports doubled last MY to $7 million, and are up 174 percent in MY 02/03 through October.

U.S. vegetable seed imports of $91 million were down 15 percent from the previous MY. Through October, MY 2002/03 vegetable seed imports were down 15 percent from the same period last MY. The Netherlands ($25 million in MY 01/02), China ($14 million) and Chile ($14 million) accounted for almost 60 percent of total vegetable seed imports.