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Top Cardamoms Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices

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Cardamom spice bowl
Cardamoms bowl
In 2023, exports of cardamoms were worth a total US$799.7 million.

Exports of cardamoms deflated by an average -20.8% since 5 years earlier in 2019 when export sales for cardamoms amounted to $1 billion.

Year over year, overall export revenues for the strong-tasting spice made from plant seeds shrank by -10.4% compared to $892.7 billion starting from 2022.

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.

Guatemala is a country in Central America sharing its northern border with Mexico and near the Caribbean to its east.

By value, the 5 biggest exporters of cardamoms (Guatemala, India, United Arab Emirates, Nepal and Indonesia) sold 87.2% of all cardamoms exported during 2023..

Applying a continental perspective, countries in Asia supplied the highest dollar worth of exported cardamoms during 2023 with shipments valued at $404.6 million or 50.6% of the global total. In second place were exporters in Latin America (45.5%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, trailed by those in Europe (3.4%), Africa (0.2%), North America (also 0.2%) and Oceania (0.02%) led by Australia.

Shifting our attention to imports, the 5 leading importers of cardamoms in 2023 were Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, India, mainland China and Bangladesh. Collectively, that quintet of top import countries bought almost three-fifths (59.3%) of globally imported cardamoms as measured by dollar value.

The above percentages suggest the total 83 exporters of cardamoms (87.2% for the corresponding top 5 exporters) is a more concentrated cohort compared to 154 buying countries, islands and territories. The top 5 importers accounted for a smaller portion of the imports world total at 59.3%.

As for global imports of cardamoms by continent, 80% of cardamoms purchased on international markets was delivered to customers in Asia (85.2%), Africa (5.4%), Europe (also 5.4%), North America (3%), Oceania (0.5%) led by Australia and New Zealand, then buyers in Latin America (0.4%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean.

We calculated the average unit price paid by importers of non-crushed and unground cardamoms to be $9,675 per ton in 2023. That dollar amount reflects a 4.3% decrease from the average tonnage rate of $9,275 during 2022.

Processed cardamoms exports demanded a greater unit price. For crushed or ground cardamoms, the average unit price paid by importers was $13,767 per ton in 2023 inflating by 27.4% from the average tonnage rate of $10,809 for 2022. That 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, 93.6% of world cardamoms exports by value were for non-crushed and unground cardamoms. The remaining 6.4% was paid for shipments of crushed or ground cardamoms (exceeding the 5.1% for 2022).

Top Cardamoms Exports by Country

Below are the top 20 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of cardamoms during 2023, regardless of whether the shipped cardamoms was crushed, ground or raw.

  1. Guatemala: US$361.6 million (45.2% of total exported cardamoms)
  2. India: $102.3 million (12.8%)
  3. United Arab Emirates: $101.3 million (12.7%)
  4. Nepal: $66.6 million (8.3%)
  5. Indonesia: $65.6 million (8.2%)
  6. Saudi Arabia: $21.2 million (2.6%)
  7. Bhutan: $14.9 million (1.9%)
  8. Singapore: $12.1 million (1.5%)
  9. Netherlands: $10.1 million (1.3%)
  10. Türkiye: $7.4 million (0.9%)
  11. Germany: $5.6 million (0.7%)
  12. Jordan: $4 million (0.5%)
  13. Vietnam: $2.9 million (0.4%)
  14. United Kingdom: $2.9 million (0.4%)
  15. France: $2 million (0.2%)
  16. Kuwait: $1.8 million (0.2%)
  17. Honduras: $1.7 million (0.2%)
  18. Sweden: $1.4 million (0.2%)
  19. Sri Lanka: $1.35 million (0.2%)
  20. United States: $1.35 million (0.2%)

By value, the listed 20 countries shipped 98.5% of globally exported cardamoms in 2023.

Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing cardamoms exporters since 2022 were: Sri Lanka (up 838.2%), Türkiye (up 177.7%), Jordan (up 164.3%) and Saudi Arabia (up 60%).

Those countries that posted year-over-year declines in their exported cardamoms sales were led by: the Netherlands (down -44.9%), Vietnam (down -42.8%), India (down -34%), Sweden (down -28.1%) and the United Kingdom (down -19.9%).

Top Cardamoms Imports by Country

Overall spending on imported cardamoms expanded by 3% over the 5-year period starting in 2019 but reduced by -15.3% from 2022.

Below are the 20 best buying markets as measured by the highest dollar value worth of cardamoms imported during 2023, for any cardamoms regardless of whether crushed or ground.

  1. Saudi Arabia: US$141.1 million (18.2% of total imported cardamoms)
  2. United Arab Emirates: $120.5 million (15.6%)
  3. India: $86.1 million (11.1%)
  4. mainland China: $69.8 million (9%)
  5. Bangladesh: $41.3 million (5.3%)
  6. Jordan: $30.9 million (4%)
  7. Egypt: $28.9 million (3.7%)
  8. Yemen: $21.7 million (2.8%)
  9. Kuwait: $17.9 million (2.3%)
  10. United States: $17.4 million (2.2%)
  11. Iraq: $14.5 million (1.9%)
  12. Singapore: $13.7 million (1.8%)
  13. Pakistan: $11.9 million (1.5%)
  14. Türkiye: $11.9 million (1.5%)
  15. Syria: $11 million (1.4%)
  16. Oman: $10.1 million (1.3%)
  17. Nepal: $10.1 million (1.3%)
  18. Iran: $9.7 million (1.3%)
  19. United Kingdom: $7.8 million (1%)
  20. Qatar: $7.1 million (0.9%)

By value, the listed 20 countries bought 88.3% of globally imported cardamoms in 2023.

Among the top importers, the fastest-growing cardamoms importers since 2022 were: Türkiye (up 81.3%), Nepal (up 70.5%), Yemen (up 70.1%) and India (up 52.8%).

Buyer countries that posted declines in their imported cardamoms purchases were led by: Pakistan (down -49.1% from 2022), United States of America (down -42.4%), Iran (down -40.7%), Qatar (down -40.5%) and Bangladesh (down -36.6%).

Imported Raw Cardamoms: Lowest and Highest Unit Prices

In 2023, the world’s average unit price for imports of non-crushed and unground cardamoms was US$9,675 per ton up by 4.3% from 2022.

The average tonnage charge for the number one importer of non-crushed and unground cardamoms, United Arab Emirates, was higher at $9,980.

Ranked in ascending order, listed below are the countries paying the lowest average unit prices for imported raw cardamoms in 2023.

  1. Liberia: US$111 per ton (down -96.3% from 2022)
  2. Senegal: $500 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  3. Tanzania: $750 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  4. Ethiopia: $952 per ton (down -26.8%)
  5. Angola: $1,000 per ton (down -40%)
  6. Botswana: $1,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  7. Guatemala: $1,139 per ton (down -43%)
  8. Nigeria: $1,333 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  9. Malta: $1,778 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  10. Grenada: $2,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  11. Uzbekistan: $2,000 per ton (down -84.6%)
  12. Tajikistan: $2,182 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  13. Kenya: $2,333 per ton (down -41.7%)
  14. Seychelles: $3,600 per ton (up 45.9%)
  15. Cyprus: $3,714 per ton (down -82.2%)

The greatest reductions in average unit price paid per ton for non-crushed and unground cardamoms from 2022 to 2023 belong to low-cost importers Liberia (down -96.3%), Uzbekistan (down -84.6%) and Cyprus (down -82.2%).

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

  1. Denmark: US$33,500 per ton (up 31.1% from 2022)
  2. Ireland: $25,364 per ton (down -90.4%)
  3. Slovenia: $25,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  4. Switzerland: $22,125 per ton (down -22.4%)
  5. Belgium: $20,429 per ton (down -21%)
  6. Portugal: $20,400 per ton (down -19.5%)
  7. Guyana: $20,000 per ton (down -4.8%)
  8. Romania: $19,625 per ton (down -16.3%)
  9. Uruguay: $18,000 per ton (down -30.8%)
  10. Argentina: $17,667 per ton (up 4.7%)
  11. New Zealand: $16,500 per ton (up 2.6%)
  12. Chile: $16,000 per ton (up 6.7%)
  13. Lithuania: $16,000 per ton (down -23.8%)
  14. Guinea: $16,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  15. Mauritius: $15,909 per ton (up 7.9%)

Accelerations in terms of higher average unit prices paid in 2023 compared to 2022 were recorded by importers in Denmark (up 31.1%), Mauritius (up 7.9%), Chile (up 6.7%), Argentina (up 4.7%) and New Zealand (up 2.6%).

Imported Crushed or Ground Cardamoms: Lowest and Highest Unit Prices

In 2023, the world’s average unit price for imports of crushed and ground cardamoms was US$13,767 per ton inflating by 27.4% from an average $10,809 per ton for 2022.

The average tonnage charge for the number one importer of crushed and ground cardamom (by weight), the United Arab Emirates, was higher at $14,426.

Ranked in ascending order, listed below are the countries paying the lowest average unit prices for imported crushed and ground cardamoms in 2023.

  1. Senegal: US$333 per ton (down -33.4% from 2022)
  2. Angola: $556 per ton (down -44.4%)
  3. Guatemala: $669 per ton (up 14%)
  4. Pakistan: $1,750 per ton (up 42.4%)
  5. Kenya: $2,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  6. Papua New Guinea: $2,500 per ton (down -28.6%)
  7. Ethiopia: $2,600 per ton (up 8.9%)
  8. Indonesia: $3,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  9. Mozambique: $3,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  10. Cambodia: $3,333 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  11. Nepal: $3,522 per ton (down -70.6%)
  12. Bermuda: $4,000 per ton (down -42.9%)
  13. Tanzania: $5,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  14. Seychelles: $5,000 per ton (up 100%)
  15. South Africa: $5,276 per ton (down -7.9%)

The severest reductions in average unit price paid per ton for crushed and ground cardamoms from 2022 to 2023 belong to low-cost importers Nepal (down -70.6%), Angola (down -44.4%), Bermuda (down -33.4%), Senegal (down -33.4%) and Papua New Guinea (down -28.6%).

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

  1. Slovenia: US$52,000 per ton (up 33.3% from 2022)
  2. Thailand: $44,333 per ton (up 20.6%)
  3. Finland: $42,500 per ton (up 14%)
  4. Morocco: $41,000 per ton (down -30.5%)
  5. Switzerland: $28,750 per ton (down -14.6%)
  6. Ireland: $28,143 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  7. Austria: $28,000 per ton (down -6.7%)
  8. Romania: $26,500 per ton (down -17.2%)
  9. Russia: $25,600 per ton (down -34.7%)
  10. Sudan: $25,250 per ton (up 297.1%)
  11. Japan: $25,167 per ton (up 24.3%)
  12. Denmark: $24,452 per ton (down -20.8%)
  13. Italy: $22,333 per ton (down -20.9%)
  14. Lithuania: $21,000 per ton (down -0.8%)
  15. South Sudan: $21,000 per ton (up 585.2%)

The strongest accelerations in terms of higher average unit prices in 2023 compared to 2022 were paid by importers of crushed or ground cardamoms in South Sudan (up 585.2%), Sudan (up 297.1%), Slovenia (up 33.3%) and Japan (up 24.3%).

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 December 5, 2024

Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on December 5, 2024

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on December 5, 2024

Wikipedia, Cardamom. Accessed on December 5, 2024