IMPORT OF PEPPER BY SPAIN

 

IMPORT OF PEPPER BY SPAIN

Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain, is located in Europe with its continental European territory situated on the Iberian Peninsula. Its territory also includes two archipelagoes: the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa, and the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. Thus, making Spain the only European country to have a physical border with an African country (Morocco). Furthermore, Spain actively imports pepper from various pepper producing countries for domestic consumption or for re-export.

In 2018, Spain was reported to have imported a total 5,275 Mt of pepper which 90% or 4,753 Mt of it comprised of whole pepper while 10% or 523 Mt of it was ground pepper. The average import of pepper by Spain in 2018 was reported to be 440 Mt per month with the highest quantity recorded in April with 580 Mt. The total expenditure of pepper import by Spain was reported to be as high as USD 21.3 Million, recording an average price of the total pepper imported by Spain at USD 3,865 per Mt for whole pepper and USD 5,654 Per Mt for ground pepper.

Year 2019 saw an increasing trend in term of quantity of pepper imported by Spain. Spain was reported to have imported a total of 5,789 Mt which 80% or 4,628 Mt of it comprised of whole pepper and 20% or 1,161 Mt of it was ground pepper. Thus, recording an increase of 10% when compared to the same period in 2018. The average pepper imported by Spain was reported at 482 Mt per month which peaked in January with 566 Mt. Although increasing in terms of quantity, Spain's expenditure of pepper import was reported with a decrease of 15% to a total of USD 18.1 Million. Thus, recording an average price of the total pepper imported by Spain at USD 3,276 per Mt for whole pepper and USD 2,587 per Mt for ground pepper or a decrease by 15% and 54% respectively as compared to 2018.

As of May 2020, Pepper import by Spain was reported with an increase of 7% as compared to the same period in 2019, totaling at 2,708 Mt which comprised of 82% or 2,233 Mt of whole pepper and 18% or 474 Mt of ground pepper. The total expenditure of pepper import by Spain as of May 2020 was reported with a decrease of 7% when compared to the same period in the previous year, totaling at USD 7.5 Million. Thus, recording an average price of the total pepper imported by Spain at USD 2,694 per Mt for whole pepper and USD 3,169 per Mt for ground pepper.

The top five countries of origins of Spain's pepper as of May 2020 were reported to be Viet Nam with 1,085 Mt (an increase of 33% as compared to the same period in 2019), Brazil with 656 Mt (an increase of 56%), Indonesia with 207 Mt (an increase of 31%), Netherlands with 140 Mt (a decrease of 35%) and Belgium with 136 Mt (a decrease of 23%). The decreased of Spain import from Netherlands and Belgium could be contributed to Spain preference of importing from origins countries which offered more competitive price such as Viet Nam (an increase by 266 Mt as compared to the same period in 2019), Brazil (236 Mt) and Indonesia (49 Mt).

IPC REPORTS - EXPORT OF PEPPER BY SPAIN

Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain, is located in Europe with its continental European territory is situated on the Iberian Peninsula. Its territory also includes two archipelagoes: the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa, and the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea make Spain the only European country to have a physical border with an African country (Morocco). Furthermore, Spain actively imports pepper from various pepper producing countries for domestic consumption or for re-export.
In 2018, Spain was reported to have imported a total of 5,280 Mt which 90% of it comprised of whole pepper. In the following year, Spain import of pepper increased by 10%, totaling at 5,789 Mt. The ratio of Spain's import and export during 2018-January 2019 are 2:1 respectively. As of January 2020, Spain was reported to have imported a total of 553 Mt of which 226 Mt went for re-export purposes. The top five countries of origins of Spain pepper both for whole and ground for January 2020 were reported to be Viet Nam with 220 Mt, Brazil with 149 Mt, Ecuador with 49 Mt, Belgium with 31 Mt and India with 29 Mt.
In 2018, Spain was reported to have exported a total of 3,267 Mt of pepper from which 34% or 1,112 Mt of it comprised of whole pepper and 66% or 2,155 Mt of it ground pepper. Spain on average exported a total of 272 Mt per month in 2018 which peaked in May with 432 Mt. The total revenue of Spain's export of pepper in 2018 was reported to be as high as USD 14.6 Million. Thus, recording an average price of the total pepper exported by Spain at USD 4,419 per Mt for whole pepper and USD 4,516 per Mt for ground pepper.
Year 2019 saw a decrease in term of quantity of pepper exported by Spain. Spain was reported to have exported a total of 2,991 Mt of which 29% or 877 Mt of it comprised of whole pepper and 71% or 2,115 Mt of it ground pepper, recording a decrease of 8% when compared with 2018. The average export of pepper by Spain in 2019 was reported to be at 249 Mt per month which peaked in March with 379 Mt. In accordance with decreasing in terms of quantity, Spain's revenue from pepper export was also reported with a decreased by 23% as compared to the previous year to a total of USD 11.2 Million. Thus, recording an average price of the total pepper exported by Spain at USD 4,095 per Mt for whole pepper and USD 3,637 per Mt for ground pepper or a decrease by 7% and 19% respectively as compared to 2018.
As of January 2020, Spain was reported to have exported a total of 226 Mt which 24% or 55 Mt of it comprised of whole pepper and 76% or 171 Mt of it ground pepper. Thus, recording a decrease of 13% when compared to the same period in 2019. As of January 2020, the total revenue of pepper export by Spain was reported to have reached USD 764,000, recording a decrease by 20% as compared to the same period in 2019. The average price of the total pepper exported by Spain as of January 2020 was reported at USD 4,690 per Mt for whole pepper and USD 2,959 per Mt for ground pepper.
Pepper from Spain is widely traded in Europe, Africa and America. As of January 2020, Spain's top 5 Country of destinations for its pepper were reported to be Italy with 54 Mt (an increase of 122% as compared to the same period in 2019), France with 43 Mt (an increase of 71%), Portugal with 38 Mt (an increase of 259%), Egypt with 25 Mt (2019 N.A.) and United Kingdom with 10 Mt (an increase of 283%). 

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SAFRON - USA TESTS GROWING POSSIBILITY

Researchers in Rhode Island have been growing test plots of the pricey plant—and it's thriving. Some think this could disrupt the global saffron economy.

 Jessica Fu

Dr. Rebecca Brown thought that the sun had set on this year’s saffron harvest. The autumn-blooming plants—which she and her colleague had planted in the University of Rhode Island’s agronomy farm to the northwest of campus—hadn’t produced flowers in days, and winter was imminent.

“We were already a couple of weeks into harvest,” she says. “We thought it was finished.”

Then on Thursday morning, Brown discovered that, unexpectedly, fresh flowers had sprung out from the soil overnight—a sign of just how suitable growing conditions on the Northeast could now be for a lucrative plant that Americans have traditionally imported.

This is the third year that Brown and her colleague, Dr. Rahmatallah Gheshm, have harvested saffron in Rhode Island. Brown is an associate professor of plant sciences, and Gheshm is a postdoctoral fellow in agro-ecology. Their harvests are part of an ongoing research project aimed at assessing how viable commercial farming of the crop could be in the Northeast.

Saffron flower in handRahmatallah Gheshm   

The disproportionate amount of work that goes into producing each strand makes saffron the most expensive spice in the world, commanding up to $10,000 per pound

“We’re just trying to answer some very basic questions starting with: Can we grow saffron outdoors in Rhode Island?” Brown says. “[We’re] looking at whether we needed to provide winter protection or not, and what sort of planting density would be best here.”

At the center of every saffron flower are three thin, red threads, called stigma. Once extracted, producers sell these stigma as a valuable and aromatic spice, also called saffron, a coveted ingredient in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and European cooking. Its labor-intensive production and the disproportionate amount of work that goes into producing each strand makes saffron the most expensive spice in the world, commanding up to $10,000 per pound. This means that farmers in the Northeast stand to make a lot of money if commercial saffron harvesting could be incorporated into their production schedule.

Saffron plants in Rhode Island don’t appear to need the protection of hoop houses during the winter, when the leaves sprout in scallion-like grasses.

To conduct their research, the scientists planted 6,000 corms—the bulbous beginnings of every saffron flower—into a field measuring approximately 158 square feet. The land was divided into 16 separate plots, each measuring about 13 by 2.5 feet. To find saffron’s optimal growth conditions, Brown and Gheshm varied density among the plots, protected some with hoop houses during the winter, and left others uncovered year-round.

The idea to grow saffron in Rhode Island came to Gheshm after he was inspired by the Vermont-based saffron research of a friend and former classmate he’d met in their shared home country, Iran. He was curious about how harvest of the spice could be transferred to the particular climate of the Ocean State.

“The milder winters encouraged us to try planting saffron outdoors in Rhode Island, in southern New England,” Gheshm says. In Vermont, researchers needed to transfer their saffron plants into hoop houses during the winter to protect them from the cold.

The study’s results won’t be final until after this season’s harvest is over, but Brown and Gheshm tell me that they’ve already gleaned some preliminary findings. For one, saffron plants in Rhode Island don’t appear to need the protection of hoop houses during the winter, when the leaves sprout in scallion-like grasses. After this year’s harvest, Brown and Gheshm plan to conduct a follow-up experiment, looking at how saffron farming might be able to co-exist—particularly in the summer when saffron plants are dormant—with other crops that local farmers already grow. The project has secured funding from the Department of Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
Saffron samplesRahmatallah Gheshm   

At the center of every saffron flower are three thin, red threads, called stigma. Once extracted, producers sell these stigma as a valuable and aromatic spice

“Could we grow something else like basil or lettuce on that land while the saffron is sleeping underneath?” Brown asks. If so, farmers “could make more money off the space.”

Right now, Iran is the highest saffron-producing country in the world, exporting nearly half of the world’s market, according to UN trade data. However, compared to the sunny, dry conditions in Iran, Rhode Island has a much higher humidity level—the impact of which Brown and Gheshm wanted to observe in their study. So far, however, it appears that the humidity might not be a problem. U.S. is a major saffron buyer, and its demand has never been higher. In 1992, the U.S. imported $3.17 million worth of the spice, a value that has since risen steadily to $16 million last year, according to Census data.

Because of issues like America’s economic sanctions against Iran, Gheshm explains, most of the U.S.’s saffron imports come from through Spain, which is both a major importer and exporter of the spice. Brown believes that local production of saffron can meet the rising demand from American consumers, which she attributes to an increasingly diverse population. What better way to get around a middle man than to grow it in our own backyards?

https://newfoodeconomy.org/saffron-northeast-university-of-rhode-island-iran/

Jessica is a reporter for The New Food Economy. Reach her by email at jessica.fu@newfoodeconomy.org and on Twitter @JessTiaFu.