IMPORT OF PEPPER BY SINGAPORE
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island city-state in Southeast Asia. The country is situated one degree (137 Kilometers or 85 miles) north of the equator, at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, with Indonesia’s Riau Islands to the south and Peninsular Malaysia to the north. Singapore actively imports pepper from various pepper producing countries for its domestic consumption or for re-export purpose.
In 2017, Singapore was reported to have imported a total of 5,583 Mt of pepper which 89% or 4,961 Mt of it comprised of whole pepper while 11% or 622 Mt of it was ground pepper. The average import by Singapore in 2017 was reported to be 465 Mt per month with the highest quantity recorded in December with 702 Mt. The total expenditure of pepper imported by Singapore was reported to be as high as USD 34.1 Million, recording an average price of the total pepper imported by Singapore at USD 6,219 per Mt for whole pepper and USD 5,287 Per Mt for ground pepper.
Year 2018 saw an increasing trend in term of quantity of pepper imported by Singapore. Singapore was reported to have recorded a total of 5,782 Mt which comprised of 87% or 5,041 Mt of whole pepper and 13% or 740 Mt of ground pepper. Thus, recording an increase of 4% as compared to the same period in 2017. On average Singapore was reported to have imported 482 Mt per month which peaked in May with 878 Mt. Although increasing in term of quantity, Singapore’s expenditure for pepper import was reported to have declined by 34% to a total of USD 22.5 Million, recording an average price of the total pepper imported by Singapore at USD 3,826 per Mt for whole pepper and USD 4,355 per Mt for ground pepper or a decrease by 38% and 18% respectively as compared with 2017. Pepper import by Singapore as of July 2019 was reported with a decrease by 58% as compared with the same period in 2018, totaling at 1,811 Mt which comprised of 1,435 Mt of whole pepper and 376 Mt of ground pepper. The total expenditure of pepper import by Singapore as of July 2019 was reported with a decrease by 65% as compared to the same period in the previous year, totaling at USD 6.0 Million.
The top five countries of origins of Singapore’s pepper as of July 2019 were reported to be Viet Nam with 647 Mt (a decrease of 61% as compared with the same period in 2018), Malaysia with 507 Mt (a decrease of 8%), Brazil with 281 Mt (a decrease of 65%), Indonesia with 255 Mt (a decrease of 79%) and Taiwan with 26 Mt. The significant decrease of Singapore import from pepper producing country is concurrent with the decrease of the total pepper imported by Singapore in 2019.
(VPA & IPC)
