Nicaragua has been, and will undoubtedly continue to be, primarily an agricultural country. Of the country's exports, agricultural and forestry products have consistently represented over 88% of the total value. One notable characteristic of Nicaraguan agriculture is its diversification, at least in respect to its other Central American neighbors. The expanded cotton and cottonseed exports since 1951, and the normally consistent exports of coffee are by far the most important agricultural products in terms of foreign exchange. In addition, four other commodities (sesame, cattle and meat, timber, and sugar) each yielded over a million dollars in foreign exchange during the years 1957 and 1958.