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Seeds: January 2003
U.S. Vegetable Seed Trade Review
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.
Tomato seed accounts for about a
quarter of total U.S. vegetable seed imports.
China is our most important source of tomato seeds ($7 million in MY
01/02), followed by Chile, the Netherlands, Israel, Thailand, France and India.
Tomato seed imports from India have fallen dramatically over the past
three years, from $4.6 million in MY 1999/00 to $1.3 million in MY 2001/02, and
are down 86 percent in MY 02/03 through October.
Of our top suppliers, only Thailand is showing signs of improvement in MY
02/03 so far.