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Farm produce

Export cumin (jeera)

Seed spice from Gujarat and Rajasthan. The UAE, Bangladesh, the USA and China lead; residue limits for China and the EU are strict.

Free to exportHS 0909.31
HS code
0909.31
Cumin seed, neither crushed nor ground. Ground cumin is 0909.32.
Export policy
Free to export
Free. CRES from the Spices Board is compulsory.
Registrations
4
IEC, GST and those below
India’s exports, 2025-26
US$ 524 mn
to 123 countries

What is exported

Cumin is grown in Gujarat and Rajasthan and traded through Unjha. India exported 1.97 lakh tonnes worth about US$ 524 million in 2025-26 (Spices Board). The UAE, Bangladesh, the USA, China, Nepal and the UK were the top buyers. Most cumin ships as machine-cleaned seed at 98–99.5% purity.

Varieties, grades and forms

  • Singapore quality (about 98–99% purity)Trade name for machine-cleaned seed for Asian and Gulf buyers.
  • Europe quality (about 99–99.5% purity)Sortexed seed with tighter limits on admixture and residues.
  • Gujarat Cumin 4 (GC-4) and similarCommon field varieties grown in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
  • Ground cumin (0909 32)Powder for packers; often steam-sterilised.

Where it is grown or made

  • RajasthanLargest area and output (Spices Board 2024-25): Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Nagaur.
  • GujaratUnjha (Mehsana) — the main cumin market and cleaning hub; Saurashtra and north Gujarat farms.

Season

Rabi crop harvested February–March (Spices Board calendar); new-crop arrivals at Unjha from March, shipped all year from stock.

Export packing

  • 25 kg and 50 kg PP or jute bags; a 20-ft container takes about 18–19 tonnes depending on bags.
  • Paper bags with liners for sterilised powder.

Who buys abroad

  • Re-exporters and traders in the UAE and Singapore
  • Importers in Bangladesh, Nepal and China
  • Spice grinders and seasoning makers in the USA, UK and EU

The quality buyers ask for

Purity
Traded by purity grade — commonly 98%, 99% and 99.5% (machine-cleaned/sortexed) — with the balance being dust, stones and other seeds
Pesticide residues
EU: chlorpyrifos 0.01 mg/kg; China: cypermethrin 0.1, carbendazim 0.3 and profenofos 5 mg/kg (Spices Board compilation)
Microbes and fumigant
EU: Salmonella absent in 25 g; ethylene oxide 0.1 mg/kg
Moisture and volatile oil
Limits set by the Codex cumin standard (CXS 327-2017) and AGMARK grades; volatile oil is a quality marker for grinders
Adulteration
No grass seeds coloured to look like cumin; buyers check under magnification

Certificates

  • Spices Board CRESRequiredCertificate of Registration as Exporter of Spices. Required by law before you export any spice listed by the Spices Board.
  • FSSAI licenceRequiredCentral licence from FSSAI for the premises where the food is packed or stored for export. Apply on FoSCoS.
  • Phytosanitary certificateRequiredIssued by Plant Quarantine (DPPQS) for each consignment of plant produce, after inspection. Apply on PQMS.
  • HACCPOften askedA food-safety plan that identifies hazards at each processing step and controls them. Most importers ask for it from the processing unit.
  • ISO 22000 / FSSC 22000Often askedFood-safety management system certification. FSSC 22000 is recognised by GFSI, which large retailers and brand owners look for.
  • Organic (NPOP / NOP / EU)Often askedNeeded only if you sell the product as organic: NPOP certification by an accredited body, plus the buyer market’s own organic rules.

Shipping, storage and shelf life

Container load

A 20-ft container typically holds about 13–16 tonnes of cumin in 25 or 50 kg bags; confirm the stuffing plan with your forwarder.

How it travels

Sea freight, mostly from Mundra and Kandla near the Unjha market.

Storage

Dry, ventilated godown; seeds pick up moisture and lose aroma in heat.

Shelf life

Whole seed typically 1–2 years; powder much less.

What goes on the pack and carton

  • Bulk bags and cartons: product and grade, crop year, lot number, net and gross weight, “Product of India”, exporter name and the buyer’s shipping marks, matching the invoice and packing list exactly.
  • EU retail packs (Regulation 1169/2011): name of the food, ingredients with allergens highlighted, net quantity, best-before date, storage conditions, the EU importer’s name and address, and origin where required — in the language of the country of sale.
  • USA (21 CFR 101): product name, net quantity in both US and metric units, ingredients, allergens, name and place of business of the packer or distributor, Nutrition Facts unless exempt; and “Product of India” marking (19 CFR 134).
  • Lot or batch number on every pack and bag — FSSAI’s Labelling and Display Regulations, 2020 require it, and every importing country uses it to trace and recall.
Where to get it tested

The Spices Board runs quality evaluation laboratories in Kochi, Mumbai, Chennai, Guntur, Narela (Delhi), Tuticorin, Kandla, Kolkata and Jodhpur; fees and sample forms are on indianspices.com → Quality. NABL-accredited private labs (search nabl-india.org) are also used. Check the Board’s “Mandatory tests for export” list for your spice and market.

Benefits of exporting this product

Where to register

  • Spices BoardCertificate of Registration as Exporter of Spices (CRES). Required by law for anyone exporting a spice listed by the Spices Board.indianspices.org.in ↗
  • FSSAIFood business licence. FSSAI rules put food exporters under the Central licence; apply on FoSCoS and keep it valid for the premises you pack from.foscos.fssai.gov.in ↗

Quality and checks

  • China: cypermethrin 0.1 mg/kg, carbendazim 0.3 mg/kg and profenofos 5 mg/kg (Spices Board SPS list).
  • EU: chlorpyrifos 0.01 mg/kg, ethylene oxide 0.1 mg/kg, Salmonella absent in 25 g.
  • Purity, admixture and volatile oil as per contract; buyers reject lots mixed with grass seed or dust.
How to start small

Buy sortex-cleaned cumin from an Unjha processor with an in-house or NABL lab report, and ship a 10–20 tonne lot to a UAE or Bangladesh trader. Use China only once you can test for its specific residue list.

Where new exporters go wrong

  • Prices swing sharply with the Gujarat and Rajasthan crop; quote short validity and avoid long fixed-price contracts.
  • Shipping to China without testing for the residues on its list — the lot is returned.

Documents this product needs

Schemes that apply

Sources (3)
  1. Spices Board — Major item/country-wise export of spices (2021-22 to 2025-26)
  2. Spices Board — SPS requirements for spices (risks reported in export consignments)
  3. Spices Board India — exporter registration (CRES) and quality

Trade data

Indian cumin (jeera) exports in numbers

From the Department of Commerce’s TradeStat, country by country. US$, Indian financial years (April–March).

Exports in 2025-26
US$ 524 mn
-1.7% a year on average, 2020-21 to 2025-26
Change from 2024-25
↓ -28.4%
US$ 732 mn → US$ 524 mn
Buyer countries
123
Average export price
US$ 2.66
per kg · 1,96,800 tonnes shipped · US$ 3.19 the year before
United Arab Emirates: US$ 72.8 mnBangladesh: US$ 70.6 mnUnited States of America: US$ 49.9 mnChina: US$ 23.2 mnNepal: US$ 20.3 mnUnited Kingdom: US$ 20.2 mnSaudi Arabia: US$ 14.8 mnNetherlands: US$ 14.7 mnMalaysia: US$ 13.9 mnSri Lanka: US$ 10.1 mnGermany: US$ 10.1 mnCanada: US$ 9 mnSpain: US$ 7.7 mnJapan: US$ 7.6 mnVietnam: US$ 6.4 mnAustralia: US$ 5.6 mnUnited Arab Emirates: US$ 72.8 mnUnited Arab EmiratesBangladesh: US$ 70.6 mnBangladeshUnited States of America: US$ 49.9 mnUnited States of AmericaChina: US$ 23.2 mnChinaNepal: US$ 20.3 mnNepalUnited Kingdom: US$ 20.2 mnUnited KingdomSaudi Arabia: US$ 14.8 mnNetherlands: US$ 14.7 mnMalaysia: US$ 13.9 mnSri Lanka: US$ 10.1 mnGermany: US$ 10.1 mnCanada: US$ 9 mnSpain: US$ 7.7 mnJapan: US$ 7.6 mnVietnam: US$ 6.4 mnAustralia: US$ 5.6 mnIndia
Where Indian cumin (jeera) goes — among our 30 countries, 2025-26
2020-21: US$ 572 mn5722020-212021-22: US$ 449 mn4492021-222022-23: US$ 522 mn5222022-232023-24: US$ 700 mn7002023-242024-25: US$ 732 mn7322024-252025-26: US$ 524 mn5242025-26
India’s cumin (jeera) exports, year by year · US$ million

The price cycle

India’s average export price per kg each year (total value ÷ total quantity). Highest in 2024-25, lowest in 2020-21 — a 66% swing between them. Keep this swing in mind when you quote.

2020-21: US$ 1.92 per kg1.922021-22: US$ 2.07 per kg2022-23: US$ 2.80 per kg2024-25: US$ 3.19 per kg3.192025-26: US$ 2.66 per kg2.662020-212021-222022-232023-242024-252025-26
Average export price of Indian cumin (jeera) · US$ per kg · dotted = year in between not available

What next: a projection from the trend

The past trend carried forward — not a forecast by any authority. Sudden changes in policy, prices or demand are not in it.

2020-21: US$ 572 mn2020-212021-22: US$ 449 mn2021-222022-23: US$ 522 mn2022-232023-24: US$ 700 mn2023-242024-25: US$ 732 mn2024-252025-26: US$ 524 mn2025-262026-27: US$ 656 mn (US$ 503 mn – US$ 856 mn)6562026-272027-28: US$ 681 mn (US$ 507 mn – US$ 916 mn)6812027-28
India’s cumin (jeera) exports and projection · hollow bars = projection, line = likely range
By 2027-28: US$ 681 mn

Likely range US$ 507 mn to US$ 916 mn.

Trend
+3.8% a year
Fit (R²)
0.14 — weak, read with care
Based on
6 years of official figures

Method: a straight line through the logarithm of yearly exports (log-linear regression); range = ±1 standard error.

Biggest buyer countries

By value in 2025-26. Change is against 2024-25.

Name2025-26Change
1United Arab EmiratesUS$ 72.8 mn-18.5%
2BangladeshUS$ 70.6 mn-20.1%
3United States of AmericaUS$ 49.9 mn-26.1%
4ChinaUS$ 23.2 mn-79.9%
5NepalUS$ 20.3 mn-12.6%
6United KingdomUS$ 20.2 mn-28.2%
7TürkiyeUS$ 19.9 mn+495.2%
8MoroccoUS$ 18 mn-19.2%
9Saudi ArabiaUS$ 14.8 mn-23.6%
10NetherlandsUS$ 14.7 mn-13.8%
11MalaysiaUS$ 13.9 mn-21.4%
12Sri LankaUS$ 10.1 mn-4.5%

Where demand is rising and falling

Only countries that buy at least US$ 1 million or 1% of India’s exports of this product. Change from 2024-25 to 2025-26.

High demand

  1. TürkiyeUS$ 3.3 mn → US$ 19.9 mn+495.2%

Low demand

  1. AfghanistanUS$ 10 mn → US$ 310k-96.9%
  2. ChinaUS$ 115 mn → US$ 23.2 mn-79.9%
  3. MexicoUS$ 15.3 mn → US$ 7.6 mn-50.2%
  4. IranUS$ 9.2 mn → US$ 5.8 mn-37.4%
  5. ColombiaUS$ 5.7 mn → US$ 3.7 mn-34.9%
  6. UzbekistanUS$ 7.2 mn → US$ 4.9 mn-32%
  7. BrazilUS$ 13.1 mn → US$ 9.2 mn-29.6%
  8. United KingdomUS$ 28.1 mn → US$ 20.2 mn-28.2%

Which forms sell, and at what price

India’s exports by 8-digit tariff line, 2025-26. Average price = total value ÷ total quantity (TradeStat): the average of every shipment on that line, not the price of any one deal.

Tariff lineValue 2025-26ChangeQuantityAverage price
Other seeds of cumin excluding black; neither crushed nor ground0909 31 29 · Spices, cumin seeds, neither crushed nor groundUS$ 438 mn-31.6%1,70,717 tonnesUS$ 2.57 per kgwas US$ 3.10
Spices, cumin seeds, crushed or ground — crushed or ground0909 32 00US$ 57.7 mn-21.8%15,621 tonnesUS$ 3.70 per kgwas US$ 4.25
Other seeds of black cumin neither crushed nor ground0909 31 19 · Spices, cumin seeds, neither crushed nor groundUS$ 21.4 mn+60.7%8,211 tonnesUS$ 2.60 per kgwas US$ 2.79
Spices, cumin seeds, neither crushed nor ground — of seed quality0909 31 21US$ 5.7 mn+82.8%1,964 tonnesUS$ 2.92 per kgwas US$ 3.67
Spices, cumin seeds, neither crushed nor ground — of seed quality0909 31 11US$ 920k-41%288 tonnesUS$ 3.20 per kgwas US$ 3.95

The world market

Each country’s own recorded exports and imports in UN Comtrade, 2023 (the latest year nearly every country has reported).

World imports
US$ 756 mn
2023
India among exporters
#1
of 103 countries
India’s share of world exports
67.4%
US$ 617 mn
Left for others to win
US$ 299 mn
exported by other countries

Top exporters — your competitors

  1. 1IndiaUS$ 617 mn 67.4%
  2. 2ChinaUS$ 106 mn 11.5%
  3. 3United Arab EmiratesUS$ 51.8 mn 5.7%
  4. 4TürkiyeUS$ 42.5 mn 4.6%
  5. 5NetherlandsUS$ 15.5 mn 1.7%
  6. 6EgyptUS$ 11.9 mn 1.3%
  7. 7SpainUS$ 7.9 mn 0.9%
  8. 8IranUS$ 7.7 mn 0.8%
  9. 9GermanyUS$ 7 mn 0.8%
  10. 10Viet NamUS$ 7 mn 0.8%

Biggest buyers in the world

  1. 1ChinaUS$ 145 mn 19.1%
  2. 2IndiaUS$ 93.6 mn 12.4%
  3. 3USAUS$ 64.5 mn 8.5%
  4. 4United Arab EmiratesUS$ 59.1 mn 7.8%
  5. 5Saudi ArabiaUS$ 34.4 mn 4.6%
  6. 6United KingdomUS$ 28.9 mn 3.8%
  7. 7MoroccoUS$ 25.2 mn 3.3%
  8. 8TürkiyeUS$ 22.5 mn 3%
  9. 9MalaysiaUS$ 22.4 mn 3%
  10. 10NetherlandsUS$ 17.5 mn 2.3%

Opportunity: what these countries buy from the world, and from India

Each country’s own recorded imports in UN Comtrade, latest year it has reported. The long light part of each bar is demand other countries are filling today.

United Arab EmiratesUS$ 59.1 mnIndia 50.6% · gap US$ 29.2 mn
Saudi ArabiaUS$ 39 mnIndia 52.5% · gap US$ 18.6 mn
United States of AmericaUS$ 81.9 mnIndia 84.9% · gap US$ 12.4 mn
NetherlandsUS$ 19.5 mnIndia 54.1% · gap US$ 9 mn
FranceUS$ 15 mnIndia 43.4% · gap US$ 8.5 mn
OmanUS$ 8 mnIndia 11% · gap US$ 7.1 mn
JapanUS$ 16.7 mnIndia 65.4% · gap US$ 5.8 mn
United KingdomUS$ 28.9 mnIndia 83.9% · gap US$ 4.6 mn
KuwaitUS$ 4.9 mnIndia 35.9% · gap US$ 3.2 mn
GermanyUS$ 15.6 mnIndia 80.3% · gap US$ 3.1 mn

TradeStat’s 2023-24 quantities are double-counted, so that year is left out of the price. Sources: TradeStat — Export Import Data Bank, Department of Commerce · UN Comtrade database (United Nations Statistics Division) · Figures taken 29 October 2026.

Step by step

How to export cumin (jeera)

India is by far the largest producer and exporter of cumin, grown mainly in Gujarat and Rajasthan; Syria, Turkey and Iran are the other origins, with supply that varies with weather and conflict. Demand comes from spice packers and food processors in China, Bangladesh, the Gulf, the USA and Europe. Because India dominates, prices swing with the Gujarat crop. Openings: machine-cleaned, high-purity cumin that passes EU and Chinese residue limits, and cumin powder and oil for food makers.

  1. 01Agree purity and residue terms

    Write purity grade, moisture, residue limits of the destination and test lab in the contract.

  2. 02Buy at Unjha or from a processor

    Unjha (Gujarat) is the main market. Buying from a processor with cleaning and sortex lines saves rejections.

  3. 03Clean and sortex

    Machine-clean and colour-sort to the agreed purity; steam-sterilise if the buyer needs low microbes.

  4. 04Test residues and Salmonella

    Test against the destination’s MRLs — China and the EU are strict on different chemicals.

  5. 05Ship and certify

    Stuff, file the shipping bill and get the phytosanitary and origin certificates.

  6. 06Get paid and close the file

    Send the original documents through your bank (or to the buyer if paid in advance). Once the money arrives, get the e-BRC and claim RoDTEP and drawback where they apply.

Meet buyers

Trade fairs

Questions

Questions about exporting cumin (jeera)

What does “99% purity” mean?
At least 99% of the weight is cumin seed; the rest is dust, stones, stalks or other seeds. Agree how it will be tested.
Why do Chinese buyers reject some lots?
For pesticide residues such as cypermethrin, profenofos and carbendazim above China’s limits.
When is the best time to buy?
New crop arrives in Unjha from about February–March; prices then depend on crop size and stock.
Is coloured or polished cumin a problem?
Yes. Coloured seed or dyed grass seed is adulteration and can lead to rejection and blacklisting.
Do I need CRES for cumin?
Yes. Cumin is a listed spice, so CRES from the Spices Board is compulsory.
Sources (6)
  1. Spices Board — SPS requirements for spices (risks reported in export consignments, with limits)
  2. Spices Board — Quality evaluation laboratories (9 locations)
  3. Spices Board — Major item/country-wise export of spices (2021-22 to 2025-26)
  4. Codex Alimentarius — list of standards
  5. APEDA — International Pesticide MRL Database
  6. Spices Board — Harvest calendar of spices

Who buys Indian cumin (jeera)

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