Weekly export sales reports serve as a timely early warning system on the possible impact of agricultural obligations on U.S. supplies and prices. The data can be used, for example, to assess the level of export demand, to determine where markets exist, and to assess the relative position of different commodities in those markets.
The majority of the principal agricultural exports, which totaled $68.7 billion in fiscal year 2006, are monitored on both a daily and weekly basis by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) through its export sales reporting system. This monitoring system provides a constant stream of up-to-date information on the quantity of U.S. agricultural commodities that are sold abroad.
