EXPORT OF PEPPER BY AUSTRALIA
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. Furthermore, Australia actively imports pepper from various pepper producing countries for domestic consumption or for re-export.

In 2018, Australia was reported to have imported a total of 3,828 Mt which 55% of it comprised of whole pepper. In the following year, Australia’s import of pepper decreased by 6%, totaling at 3,580 Mt. The ratio of Australia’s import and export during 2018-May 2020 are 12:1, 13:1 and 19:1 respectively. As of May 2020, Australia was reported to have imported a total of 1,526 Mt of which 79 Mt went for re-export purposes. The top five countries of origins of Australia pepper both for whole and ground as of May 2020 were reported to be Viet Nam with 948 Mt, India with 293 Mt, Indonesia with 77 Mt, South Africa with 55 Mt and China with 39 Mt.
In 2018, Australia was reported to have exported a total of 326 Mt of pepper which 45% or 145 Mt of it comprised of whole pepper and 55% or 181 Mt of it ground pepper. Australia on average exported a total of 27 Mt per month in 2018 which peaked in July with 68 Mt. The total revenue of Australia’s export of pepper in 2018 was reported to be as high as USD 2.7 Million. Thus, recording the average price of the total pepper exported by Australia at USD 7,740 per Mt for whole pepper and USD 8,720 per Mt for ground pepper.
Year 2019 saw a decrease in term of quantity of pepper exported by Australia. Australia was reported to have exported a total of 274 Mt of which 21% or 59 Mt of it comprised of whole pepper and 79% or 216 Mt of it ground pepper, recording a decrease of 16% when compared with 2018. The average export of pepper by Australia in 2019 was reported to be at 23 Mt per month which peaked in September with 47 Mt. In accordance with decreasing in terms of quantity, Australia’s revenue from pepper export was reported with a decrease by 19% as compared to the previous year to a total of USD 2.1 Million. Thus, recording an average price of the total pepper exported by Australia at USD 10,206 per Mt for whole pepper and USD 7,337 per Mt for ground pepper or an increase of 32% for whole pepper and a decrease by 16% for ground pepper as compared to 2018.

As of May 2020, Australia was reported to have exported a total of 79 Mt which 21% or 16 Mt of it comprised of whole pepper and 79% or 62 Mt of it ground pepper. Thus, recording a decrease by 16% when compared to the same period in 2019. As of May 2020, the total revenue of pepper export by Australia was reported to have reached USD 493,000, recording a decrease by 48% as compared to the same period in 2019. The average price of the total pepper exported by Australia as of May 2020 was reported at USD 8,140 per Mt for whole pepper and USD 5,787 per Mt for ground pepper.
Pepper from Australia traded around the world. As of May 2020, Australia’s top 5 Country of destinations for its pepper were reported to be New Zealand with 41 Mt (a decrease of 7% as compared to the same period in 2019), United Kingdom with 20 Mt (an increase of 11%), Malaysia with 8 Mt (a decrease of 46%), Viet Nam with 2 Mt (an increase of 95%) and Papua New Guinea with 1 Mt (an increase of 58%).
(VPA & IPC)
