The following symbols are used:
- |
= |
none or negligible |
... |
= |
not available |
$ |
= |
US dollar |
"1997-99" |
= |
average for three calendar years 1997, 1998 and 1999 |
"1999/00" |
= |
a 12-month crop, marketing or fiscal year spanning the two years shown. |
The metric system is used unless otherwise specified.
Data on production, trade, etc. are given on a calendar year basis unless otherwise specified. Data on stocks refer to levels of national stocks at the end of calendar or respective marketing years as specified by commodity.
Percentage changes and annual rates of change have been calculated from unrounded figures. Also, figures may not add up to the totals because of rounding.
Differences between total exports and total imports may be due to several factors, including the time-lag between the dispatch of goods from the exporting country and their arrival in the importing country, and the use of a different classification of the same product by exporting and importing countries. In addition, total values of exports and imports differ because exports are generally valued at the point of export (fob) and imports include insurance and freight to the point of import (cif).
Aggregate exports and imports of the EC and those of country groupings comprising the EC exclude intra-EC trade, unless otherwise stated. The EC data refer to EC-12 up to 1994 and EC-15 from 1995.
Unless otherwise stated, all statistics for China include the Province of Taiwan, but not the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong.
Country groupings
In the presentation and analysis of data, countries are grouped into two main categories: "developing countries" and "developed countries" unless otherwise specified. The designation "developing" and "developed" is intended for statistical convenience and does not necessarily express a judgement about the stage reached by a particular country or area in the development process.
The country classification within these two broad groups is as follows:
Developing countries include: Africa (all continental Africa, excluding the Republic of South Africa); Near East, comprising Afghanistan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Gaza Strip, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Oman, Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Yemen; Far East, comprising all other countries in continental Asia and the Pacific region, excluding those countries of the region classified as developed countries; Latin America and the Caribbean (including Mexico).
Developed countries include: North America (excluding Mexico); Europe, comprising Western Europe (including the area of former Yugoslavia) and Eastern Europe (Albania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia); the area of the former USSR; Oceania (Australia and New Zealand); other developed (Israel, Japan and the Republic of South Africa).
