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U.S. TRADE SUMMARY FOR January-October 1998
U.S. unmanufactured tobacco exports for January-October 1998 totaled 164,668 metric tons, valued at $1.15 billion. This represents an 11-percent decrease in quantity and a nearly 12- percent decrease in value when compared to January-October 1997. This drop is due primarily to competitive prices on the world market for flue-cured and burley tobacco. The leading U.S. leaf export markets so far in 1998 are: the European Union, 84,686 tons; Japan, 28,033 tons; Turkey, 14,643 tons; Thailand, 5,467 tons; Malaysia,4,437; the Republic of Korea, 4,152 tons; and the Dominican Republic, 3,170 tons.
Flue-cured exports for January-October 1998 reached 74,391 metric tons, valued at $536.8 million, down 18 percent in quantity and 18 percent in value from January-October 1997. The leading U.S. flue-cured export markets so far in 1997 are: the European Union, 37,959 tons; Japan, 14,451; Turkey, 6,695 tons; the Republic of Korea, 4,152 tons; Malaysia, 3,262; and Thailand, 838 tons.
Burley exports for January-October 1998 totaled 46,986 tons, valued at $382 million, down 12 percent in quantity and 10 percent in value from January-October 1997. The leading U.S. burley export markets so far in 1997 are: the European Union, 24,993 tons; Turkey, 5,756 tons; Japan, 7,426 tons; Thailand, 3,935 tons; the Philippines, 1,480 tons.
U.S. cigarette exports in January-October 1998 totaled 174.2 billion pieces, valued at $3.60 billion, down 3 percent in quantity and down slightly in value from January-October 1997. The leading U.S. cigarette export markets so far in 1997 are: Japan, 61.1 billion pieces; the European Union, 43 billion pieces (to mainly Belgium/Luxembourg which is a major transshipment point for exports to other European markets); Lebanon, 8.93 pieces; Russian Federation, 7.05 pieces; Saudi Arabia, 6.86 billion pieces; the Singapore, 5.08 billion pieces; and Cyprus, 4.68 billion pieces.
U.S. exports of bulk smoking tobacco for January-October 1998 totaled 54,706 metric tons, valued at $451 million, up 21 percent in quantity and 23 percent in value from January-October 1997. The leading export markets so far in 1998 are: the European Union, 19,557 tons; Turkey, 7,544 tons; Japan, 3,147 tons; Poland, 2,862 tons; and Egypt, 2,077 tons.
U.S. unmanufactured tobacco imports for consumption (duty paid) for January-October 1998 totaled 199,288 tons, valued at $672 million, down nearly 22 percent in quantity and down 28 percent in value when compared to January-October 1997. U.S. general imports (actual arrivals) of unmanufactured tobacco so far in 1998 totaled 220,533 tons, valued at $711 million. This represents a 21-percent decrease in quantity and nearly 31- percent increase in value from the same period in 1997. These decreases are partly due to the large tobacco stocks in the United States, a fall in cigarette consumption in some markets, and the uncertainty concerning the outcome of the U.S. tobacco settlement. Imports of oriental tobacco, the leading tobacco type imported by the United States, reached 70,337 tons, valued at $349 million in January-October 1998, up 2 percent in quantity and 10 percent in value when compared to the same period in 1997.
Flue-cured imports so far in 1998 totaled 28,670 tons, valued at $97 million, down 53 percent in quantity and down 63 percent in value from January-October 1997. Burley imports for the first nine months of 1997 totaled 27,453 tons, valued at $102 million, down 49 percent in quantity and down 53 percent in value from January-October 1997. U.S. imports of stems and scrap tobacco so far in 1998 total 44,898 tons, valued at $18.1 million, up 24 percent in quantity and down 26 percent in value from the same ten month period in 1997. So far in 1998, the leading suppliers to the United States of unmanufactured tobacco imports for consumption are: Turkey, 56,699 tons; Brazil, 36,261 tons; the European Union, 20,616 tons; Argentina, 10,597; Malawi, 7,981 tons; Indonesia, 5,724 tons; and Thailand, 5,333 tons.
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