Data and Market Intelligence Methodology

Crop Master and coverage

The species count covers identified biological species, not customs groups. Analytical coverage varies; seed potatoes and vegetative material are separate.

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EU Seed Trade Pulse definitions

40 seed-for-sowing CN codes. Monthly gross intra-EU dispatches; customs precision varies. Group evidence is not allocated to species. Missing evidence is not zero; no interpolation.

EU Internal Trade: Exporter-reported dispatches where both reporter and partner are EU-27 members; each reported export flow is counted once and mirror import declarations are excluded.

EU Imports: Reporter-declared EU-27 imports from partners outside the EU-27; EU internal movements and aggregate/special partner codes are excluded.

EU Exports: Reporter-declared EU-27 exports to partners outside the EU-27; EU internal movements and aggregate/special partner codes are excluded.

Trade balance: Extra-EU exports minus extra-EU imports for the same eligible seed CN scope and completed month.

Metrics and evidence

Volume is verified net weight in tonnes. Trade value is the declared euro value. Unit value is aggregate trade value divided by aggregate net weight in EUR/kg. Unit value is trade value ÷ net weight, not a market price or transaction quote. YoY compares the completed month with the same month one year earlier.

Unit value range: Category-level aggregate for the same completed month; at least 100 tonnes and 2 verified observations with positive net weight and trade value. Review-only, ambiguous and partial-period rows are excluded. Species-specific customs scope only; broad groups excluded. Expanded codes withheld pending established representative-price engine validation. The range is a category-level trade indicator, not a market price.

Trade Activity is deterministic: HIGH when volume YoY is at least +15%, LOW when it is at most −15%, and NORMAL otherwise. At least 20 observations and six eligible CN codes are required in both months; otherwise no activity label is published. Activity is descriptive, not a forecast, recommendation or trading advice.

Scope and publication gates

40 verified sowing CN8 codes. Unique reporter-partner-flow-month grain. No species allocation. Comparable 2024–2026 definitions confirmed by official yearly nomenclature evidence. EU internal trade uses exporter-reported dispatches only, preventing mirror import declarations from being counted a second time.

Representative species-level unit values retain the established outlier and low-volume controls. Marketplace context is shown only where one verified species mapping exists; ambiguous or unsupported categories fail closed.

Supply production/certification evidence remains separate from commodity crop area. Weather, supply, editorial content and Marketplace offers do not alter COMEXT calculations.