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Top Cardamoms Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices

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Cardamom spice bowl
Cardamoms bowl
In 2020, exports of cardamoms were worth a total US$1.52 billion.

Exports of cardamoms rose in value by an overall average 295.2% since 2016 when export sales for cardamoms were $978.1 million.

From 2019 to 2020, overall export revenues for the strong-tasting spice made from plant seeds accelerated by 55.6%.

Cardamoms are typically used in sweet and savory Asian dishes and spice mixes. They are also flavoring ingredients in coffee and teas, baked treats, chewing gum, garnishes, curry pastes and alcoholic drinks like bitters and gin.

By value, the 5 biggest exporters of cardamoms (Guatemala, United Arab Emirates, India, Indonesia and Nepal) sold 91.9% of all cardamoms exported during 2020. Guatemala is a country in Central America sharing its northern border with Mexico and near the Caribbean to its east.

Applying a continental perspective, countries in Latin America (67.6%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean supplied the highest dollar worth of exported cardamoms during 2020 with shipments valued at $1.03 billion or 67.6% of the global total. In second place were exporters in Asia (28.4%) trailed by those in Europe (3.6%), North America (0.3%), Africa (0.1%) and Oceania (0.04%) led by Australia.

Shifting our focus to imports, the 5 leading importers of cardamoms in 2020 were Germany, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Netherlands and United Arab Emirates. Collectively, that quintet of top import countries bought just over three-quarters (76%) of globally imported cardamoms as measured by dollar value.

The above percentages suggest the total 74 exporters of cardamoms (91.9% for the corresponding top 5 exporters) is a more concentrated cohort compared to 142 buying countries, islands and territories. The top 5 importers accounted for a smaller portion of its world total at 76%.

As for global imports of cardamoms by continent, 46.3% of cardamoms purchased on international markets was delivered to customers in North America just ahead of importers in Europe (45.1%) then Asia (5.7%), Oceania (1.7%) led by Australia, Africa (1.2%), then Latin America (0.1%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean.

We calculated the average unit price paid by importers of non-crushed and unground cardamoms to be $18,472 per ton in 2020. That dollar amount reflects a 28.9% increase from the average tonnage rate of $14,334 during 2019.

Unsurprisingly, processed cardamoms exports scored a higher unit price. For crushed or ground cardamoms, the average unit price paid by importers was $21,191 per ton in 2020 up 24.2% from the average tonnage rate of $17,067 for 2019. The higher average price is driven by labor costs and other processing expenses.

For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 090831 for cardamoms that is neither crushed nor ground, and 090832 for crushed or ground cardamoms.

Drilling down on those categories, 90.6% of world cardamoms exports by value were for non-crushed and unground cardamoms. The remaining 9.4% was paid for shipments of crushed or ground cardamoms.

Top Cardamoms Exports by Country

Below are the top 20 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of cardamoms during 2020, regardless of whether the shipped cardamoms was crushed, ground or raw.

  1. Guatemala: US$1.0 billion (67.1% of total exported cardamoms)
  2. United Arab Emirates: $141.2 million (9.3%)
  3. India: $125.4 million (8.2%)
  4. Indonesia: $64.4 million (4.2%)
  5. Nepal: $46.7 million (3.1%)
  6. Netherlands: $25.7 million (1.7%)
  7. Singapore: $22.9 million (1.5%)
  8. Myanmar: $11.2 million (0.7%)
  9. United Kingdom: $9.1 million (0.6%)
  10. Germany: $8.6 million (0.6%)
  11. Honduras: $6.1 million (0.4%)
  12. Bhutan: $5.4 million (0.4%)
  13. Bahrain: $4.5 million (0.3%)
  14. Kuwait: $3.1 million (0.2%)
  15. Turkey: $2.9 million (0.2%)
  16. Sweden: $2.6 million (0.2%)
  17. Jordan: $2.5 million (0.2%)
  18. United States of America: $2.3 million (0.2%)
  19. Spain: $1.85 million (0.1%)
  20. France: $1.76 million (0.1%)

By value, the listed 20 countries shipped 99.2% of globally exported cardamoms in 2020.

Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing cardamoms exporters since 2019 were: Kuwait (up 14,036%), Bahrain (up 640.1%), Indonesia (up 203.5%) and Turkey (up 157.9%).

Three leading countries posted declines in their exported cardamoms sales namely Bhutan (down -39%), Jordan (down -23.1%) and Singapore (down -9.4%).

Top Cardamoms Imports by Country

Overall spending on imported cardamoms expanded by 171.8% over the 5-year period starting in 2016 and increased by 14.9% year over year since 2019.

Below are the 20 best buying markets as measured by the highest dollar value worth of cardamoms imported during 2020, for any cardamoms regardless of whether crushed or ground.

  1. Germany: US$372.7 million (40.8% of total imported cardamoms)
  2. Iraq: $123.2 million (13.5%)
  3. Saudi Arabia: $80 million (8.8%)
  4. Netherlands: $76.6 million (8.4%)
  5. United Arab Emirates: $42 million (4.6%)
  6. Japan: $35.3 million (3.9%)
  7. United States: $21.2 million (2.3%)
  8. India: $17.9 million (2%)
  9. Pakistan: $14.7 million (1.6%)
  10. China: $13.5 million (1.5%)
  11. Singapore: $12.2 million (1.3%)
  12. Oman: $10.6 million (1.2%)
  13. Egypt: $8.4 million (0.9%)
  14. Syrian Arab Republic: $6.2 million (0.7%)
  15. United Kingdom: $6.1 million (0.7%)
  16. Bangladesh: $5.7 million (0.6%)
  17. Jordan: $5.5 million (0.6%)
  18. Canada: $5.2 million (0.6%)
  19. Nepal: $5.1 million (0.6%)
  20. Kuwait: $4.2 million (0.5%)

By value, the listed 20 countries bought 94.9% of globally imported cardamoms in 2020.

Among the top importers, the 5 growth markets for buying cardamoms since 2019 were: Germany (up 2,368%), Iraq (up 586%), Netherlands (up 407.5%), Japan (up 358.2%) and mainland China (up 133.2%).

Those countries that posted declines in their imported cardamoms purchases were led by: Bangladesh (down -90.8%), Kuwait (down -82.3%), India (down -68%), United Arab Emirates (down -67.7%) and Egypt (down -61.6%).

Imported Raw Cardamoms: Lowest and Highest Unit Prices

In 2020, the world’s average unit price for imports of non-crushed and unground cardamoms was US$18,472 per ton.

The average tonnage charge for the number one importer of non-crushed and unground cardamoms, Germany, was higher at $21,610.

Ranked in ascending order, listed below are the countries paying the lowest average unit prices for imported raw cardamoms in 2020.

  1. Haiti: US$700 per ton (2019 data unavailable)
  2. Chile: $925 per ton (up 270% from 2019)
  3. Uganda: $1,667 per ton (up 29.6%)
  4. Ethiopia: $1,707 per ton (down -5.2%)
  5. Guatemala: $2,831 per ton (down -12.5%)
  6. Dominican Republic: $3,237 per ton (up 17%)
  7. Ivory Coast: $3,500 per ton (2019 data unavailable)
  8. Pakistan: $5,086 per ton (up 7.2%)
  9. Cayman Islands: $5,333 per ton (2019 data unavailable)
  10. Seychelles: $6,000 per ton (up 83.3%)
  11. Venezuela: $6,000 per ton (2019 data unavailable)
  12. Ghana: $6,250 per ton (up 56.3%)
  13. Trinidad and Tobago: $6,263 per ton (up 25.3%)
  14. Indonesia: $6,904 per ton (up 46.6%)
  15. Kazakhstan: $7,000 per ton (down -58.8%)

There were 3 reductions in average unit price paid per ton for non-crushed and unground cardamoms from 2019 to 2020 were low-cost importers Kazakhstan (down -58.8%), Guatemala (down -12.5%) and Ethiopia (down -5.2%).

The following countries paid the highest average unit prices for imported unprocessed cardamoms.

  1. Finland: US$43,925 per ton (up 85.4% from 2019)
  2. Estonia: $43,667 per ton (up 90.6%)
  3. Switzerland: $38,250 per ton (up 25.7%)
  4. Norway: $38,063 per ton (up 17.6%)
  5. Denmark: $37,000 per ton (up 28.7%)
  6. Cyprus: $37,000 per ton (up 105.6%)
  7. Guyana: $36,000 per ton (2019 data unavailable)
  8. Costa Rica: $34,000 per ton (2019 data unavailable)
  9. Belgium: $33,000 per ton (up 219.4%)
  10. Sweden: $32,461 per ton (up 40.6%)
  11. Japan: $32,175 per ton (up 74.6%)
  12. Vietnam: $32,000 per ton (up 80.3%)
  13. Italy: $30,697 per ton (up 77.1%)
  14. Ukraine: $30,600 per ton (up 63.9%)
  15. Bhutan: $30,000 per ton (2019 data unavailable)

The 7 greatest accelerations in terms of higher average unit prices paid in 2020 compared to 2019 were experienced by importers in Belgium (up 219.4%), Cyprus (up 105.6%), Estonia (up 90.6%), Finland (up 85.4%), Vietnam (up 80.3%), Italy (up 77.1%) and Japan (up 74.6%).

Imported Crushed or Ground Cardamoms: Lowest and Highest Unit Prices

In 2020, the world’s average unit price for imports of crushed and ground cardamoms was US$21,191 per ton.

The average tonnage charge for the number one importer of crushed and ground cardamoms, Saudi Arabia, was higher at $28,265.

Ranked in ascending order, listed below are the countries paying the lowest average unit prices for imported crushed and ground cardamoms in 2020.

  1. Chile: US$333 per ton (up 50.7% from 2019)
  2. Guatemala: $360 per ton (up 65.9%)
  3. Namibia: $1,000 per ton (2019 data unavailable)
  4. Benin: $1,500 per ton (2019 data unavailable)
  5. Pakistan: $1,789 per ton (down -50.6%)
  6. Ethiopia: $1,941 per ton (up 10.9%)
  7. Uganda: $2,000 per ton (up 199.9%)
  8. Tajikistan: $2,222 per ton (2019 data unavailable)
  9. Armenia: $3,000 per ton (2019 data unavailable)
  10. Seychelles: $3,500 per ton (2019 data unavailable)
  11. Guyana: $4,500 per ton (2019 data unavailable)
  12. Côte d’Ivoire: $5,000 per ton (2019 data unavailable)
  13. New Zealand: $5,302 per ton (up 8.2%)
  14. Bermuda: $6,000 per ton (up 50%)
  15. Myanmar: $6,415 per ton (up 21.1%)

The lone reduction in average unit price paid per ton for crushed and ground cardamoms from 2019 to 2020 belongs to low-cost importers in Pakistan via a -50.6% downturn.

The following countries paid the highest average unit prices for imported crushed or ground cardamoms.

  1. Finland: US$241,000 per ton (up 16.3% from 2019)
  2. Thailand: $48,333 per ton (up 74.7%)
  3. Bulgaria: $47,000 per ton (up 291.7%)
  4. Qatar: $40,800 per ton (up 426.5%)
  5. Brunei Darussalam: $36,000 per ton (up 59.3%)
  6. Lithuania: $35,400 per ton (up 48.7%)
  7. Estonia: $35,139 per ton (up 47.1%)
  8. Russia: $35,000 per ton (up 55.1%)
  9. Austria: $33,182 per ton (down -5.6%)
  10. Denmark: $33,036 per ton (up 48.4%)
  11. France: $32,917 per ton (up 57.5%)
  12. Switzerland: $32,857 per ton (up 52.1%)
  13. Ireland: $32,500 per ton (up 97%)
  14. Japan: $31,727 per ton (down -11.4%)
  15. Palestine: $31,500 per ton (2019 data unavailable)

The 7 strongest accelerations in terms of higher average unit prices paid in 2020 compared to 2019 were experienced by importers of crushed or ground cardamoms in Qatar (up 426.5%), Bulgaria (up 291.7%), Ireland (up 97%), Thailand (up 74.7%), Brunei Darussalam (up 59.3%), France (up 57.5%) and Russia (up 55.1%).

See also Top Exported Spices by Sales, Weight and Unit Value, Cinnamon Exports by Country, Top Black Pepper Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices, Top Cloves Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices and Top Nutmeg Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices

Research Sources:
Alibaba, Cardamoms Showroom. Accessed on February 14, 2022

Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on February 14, 2022

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on February 14, 2022

Wikipedia, Cardamom. Accessed on February 14, 2022