According to U.S. Commerce...

Selected Imports and Exports (in millions)

Alcoholic bev.,distilled: July 1999 : Exports = 30 : Imports = 228

Animal feeds: July 1999 : Exports = 242 : Imports = 48

Basketware, etc.: July 1999 : Exports = 253 : Imports = 372

Chemicals - medicinal: July 1999 : Exports = 870 : Imports = 1,258

Cereal flour: July 1999 : Exports = 110 : Imports = 122

Cigarettes: July 1999 : Exports = 239 : Imports = 10

Clothing: July 1999 : Exports = 636 : Imports = 5,557

Coal: July 1999 : Exports = 183 : Imports = 44

Coffee: July 1999 : Exports = 1 : Imports = 194

Copper: July 1999 : Exports = 82 : Imports = 256

Cork, wood, lumber: July 1999 : Exports = 322 : Imports = 881

Corn: July 1999 : Exports = 453 : Imports = 2

Cotton, raw and linters: July 1999 : Exports = 100 : Imports = 24

Crude oil: July 1999 : Exports = 72 : Imports = 4,435

Fish and preparations: July 1999 : Exports = 309 : Imports = 760

Footwear: July 1999 : Exports = 57 : Imports = 1,339

Furniture and bedding: July 1999 : Exports = 312 : Imports = 1,292

Glassware: July 1999 : Exports = 54 : Imports = 172

Iron and steel mill prod: July 1999 : Exports = 397 : Imports = 1,141

Lighting, plumbing: July 1999 : Exports = 107 : Imports = 412

Liquified propane/butane: July 1999 : Exports = 16 : Imports = 73

Meat and preparations: July 1999 : Exports = 539 : Imports = 279

Metal manufactures, n.e.s.: July 1999 : Exports = 856 : Imports = 1,229

Metalworking machinery: July 1999 : Exports = 460 : Imports = 561

Natural gas: July 1999 : Exports = 19 : Imports = 497

Nickel: July 1999 : Exports = 25 : Imports = 53

Oils/fats, vegetable: July 1999 : Exports = 77 : Imports = 117

Optical goods: July 1999 : Exports = 191 : Imports = 243

Paper and paperboard: July 1999 : Exports = 793 : Imports = 1,073

Petroleum preparations: July 1999 : Exports = 263 : Imports = 1,318

Platinum: July 1999 : Exports = 50 : Imports = 149

Pottery: July 1999 : Exports = 8 : Imports = 151

Rice: July 1999 : Exports = 66 : Imports = 10

Rubber articles, n.e.s.: July 1999 : Exports = 120 : Imports = 144

Rubber tires and tubes: July 1999 : Exports = 188 : Imports = 391

Silver and bullion: July 1999 : Exports = 19 : Imports = 62

Soybeans: July 1999 : Exports = 200 : Imports = 1

Sugar: July 1999 : Exports = 0 : Imports = 37

Textile yearn, fabric: July 1999 : Exports = 708 : Imports = 1,181

Toys/games/sporting goods: July 1999 : Exports = 266 : Imports = 1,793

Travel goods: July 1999 : Exports = 25 : Imports = 375

Vegetables and fruits: July 1999 : Exports = 561 : Imports = 652

Watches/clocks/parts: July 1999 : Exports = 30 : Imports = 271

Vehicles: July 1999 : Exports = 2,936 : Imports = 10,761

Wheat: July 1999 : Exports = 351 : Imports = 31

-- Stan Faryna (info@giglobal.com), September 23, 1999

Answers

Stan,

Thanks for posting this. Not really any surprises, but it reminds me to go buy more sugar! Um, and Vodka.

Do you have a link for this? I would like to 'dig around' and see if I could find out the countries of origin for some of these imports.

Thanks!

-- Deborah (infowars@yahoo.com), September 23, 1999.

Most of the sugar used in the US is produced in the US (from sugar beets). A little is produced here in Hawaii from sugar cane.

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), September 24, 1999.

Louisiana produces a lot of cane sugar too. You can buy raw canes at the French market. Might help your storage plans to know that regular brown sugar is white sugar with molasses mixed back in. Turbinado ("Sugar in the Raw") and Demarara are less refined, hence tue brown, sugars.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), September 24, 1999.

Mad,

Cane and beet sugar: July 1999 = 39 : June 1999 = 74

Looks like we import quite a bit too. I wonder where from.

Deb,

http://www.bea.doc.gov/bea/newsrel/trad0799.htm

Git,

Louisiana is a bit far for me to go to get sugar next year! (smile)

-- Stan Faryna (faryna@groupmail.com), September 25, 1999.

Stan,

Thanks for the post (as well as the others!). The one's which surprised me the most were natural gas (lots locally here - many back yards have pumps/pipes) and propane..... I just didn't realize that re relied on imports for that too!

-- Kristi (securxsys@cs.com), September 26, 1999.

Thanks for this list. Availability and PRICE are what we should be thinking about. Although some sugar may be available a couple states away, if oil producing countries for some reason or another won't be sending their fuel here...you better believe you'll see the supply and demand rules in effect. I'm guessing gas could go up another 50 cents a gallon and that'll be reflected in the prices we pay to cover the additional costs in shipping an item to where you'll buy it.

Sugar and coffee are two items you might want to stock up on, if for no other reason that to buy it when prices are lower. That's my 2 cents.

beej

-- beej (beej@ppbbs.com), September 30, 1999.