How is the BICO Report Organized?

The "BICO" Report provides U.S. trade data on agricultural, fish and forest products. It has proven a useful planning tool for companies, trade associations, and public agencies interested in analyzing and tracking U.S. agricultural trade trends worldwide. It is maintained by USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) in Washington, D.C.

The "BICO" Report provides U.S. agricultural export and import data on Bulk commodities, high-value Intermediate, and Consumer-Oriented foods and beverages. In addition to these three product categories, it also includes U.S. export and import data on forest products and edible fish and seafood products. Within these five product categories, trade data is provided for 46 separate product groups. For example, "wheat" is listed under bulk commodities, "soybean oil" is listed under intermediate products, "fresh fruit" is listed under consumer foods, "lumber" is listed under forest products, and "canned salmon" is listed under fish and seafood products.

The BICO Report is available in both calendar and fiscal year format for both exports and imports. The product group listings for export and import reports vary somewhat because the mix of products exported and imported by the United States varies. The data source is U.S. Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce. The unit of measure is U.S. dollars, and record export years are identified by an asterisk. Volume data are not available. Trade data are organized by country and product group. Single-page country summaries are provided for every country in the world and 16 world regions. From the product perspective, single-page summaries are provided on each of the five product categories and 46 product groups which list all 16 world regions and the 35 top country markets in descending order of importance.

How are agricultural products classified as Bulk, Intermediate or Consumer-Oriented?

Agricultural products moving into world markets can be classified as bulk, intermediate, or consumer-oriented products. The degree to which a product receives further processing helps define whether a product is value-added or high-value. Also considered is the extent to which a product has arrived at the point of final consumption at either the food retail or food service sector.

"Bulk" agricultural products include those commodities which have received little or no processing, such as wheat, corn, soybeans, and cotton. Tropical products, such as green coffee, cocoa, raw sugar, and natural rubber, are also included in this category.

Value-added "intermediate" agricultural products (such as wheat flour, vegetable oils, and hides and skins) receive some processing, but are generally not yet ready for final consumption. Wheat flour is further processed into noodles and bakery products, while vegetable oils are an ingredient in many processed foods. Slaughter animals, are value-added intermediate products because they are range fed then finished with mixed feeds, corn and oilseed meal before they are processed further into meat cuts.

High-value (value-added) "consumer-oriented" agricultural products require little or no additional processing and are generally ready for final consumption at either the food retail or food service level. In some cases however, products classified as consumer foods may be used by food processors as ingredients in other foods. These products, some of which are not ready for final consumption, can include spices, dairy and egg products, tree nuts, and dried fruits. Food ingredients are "intermediate" products, but since the product coding system does not distinguish between different end uses for the same product, it was decided to treat these items as final stage consumer foods within the BICO classification scheme. Likewise some products found in the BICO Report’s intermediate category may be ready for final consumption at the food retail or food service level. While most consumer-oriented products have undergone various degrees of processing, the category also includes unprocessed items that have relatively high per unit values as a result of high transportation or storage costs. Good examples include fresh fruit and nursery products.

If you need help

If you wish to speak directly with FAS staff about a specific product, please contact one of the following commodity divisions:

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