IMPORT OF PEPPER BY BAHRAIN

Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is a sovereign state in the Persian Gulf. Furthermore, Bahrain actively import pepper from various pepper producing countries for domestic consumption

In 2018, Bahrain was reported to have imported a total 402 Mt of pepper which 67% or 268 Mt of it comprised of whole pepper while 33% or 133 Mt of it was ground pepper. The average import of pepper by Bahrain in 2018 was reported to be 33 Mt per month with the highest quantity recorded in April with 74 Mt. The total expenditure of pepper import by Bahrain was reported to be as high as USD 1.3 Million, recording an average price of the total pepper imported by Bahrain at USD 3,426 per Mt for whole pepper and USD 2,980 Per Mt for ground pepper.

Year 2019 saw an increasing trend in term of quantity of pepper import by Bahrain. Bahrain was reported to have recorded a total of 548 Mt which 58% or 318 Mt of it comprised of whole pepper and 42% or 230 Mt of it was ground pepper. Thus, recording an increase of 36% when compared to the same period in 2018. The average pepper imported by Bahrain was reported at 46 Mt per month which peaked in September with 91 Mt. In accordance with increasing in terms of quantity, Bahrain’s expenditure of pepper import was reported with an increase of 10% to a total of USD 1.4 Million, Thus, recording an average price of the total pepper imported by Bahrain at USD 2,840 per Mt for whole pepper and USD 2,390 per Mt for ground pepper or a decrease by 17% and 20% respectively as compared to 2018.

As of May 2020, Pepper import by Bahrain was reported stable and unchanged as compared to the same period in 2019, totaling at 233 Mt which comprised of 77% or 178 Mt of whole pepper and 23% or 54 Mt of ground pepper. The total expenditure of pepper import by Bahrain as of May 2020 was reported with a decrease by 12% when compared to the same period in the previous year, totaling at USD 587,000. Thus, recording an average price of the total pepper imported by Bahrain at USD 2,486 per Mt for whole pepper and USD 2,642 per Mt for ground pepper.

The top five countries of origins of Bahrain’s pepper as of May 2020 were reported to be Viet Nam with 143 Mt (an increase of 39% as compared to the same period in 2019), India with 34 Mt (a decrease of 38%), United Arab Emirates with 24 Mt (a decrease of 38%), Jordan with 10 Mt (an increase of 3%) and Mexico with 7 Mt (an increase of 5 Mt). The decreased of Bahrain import from India and United Arab Emirates could be contributed to Bahrain preference of importing from other origin country which offered more competitive price such as Viet Nam (an increase by 40 Mt as compared to the same period in 2019).

(VPA & IPC)