Weekly Publications

MARKET REPORT

Market this week showed mixed response with a rather negative outlook. In local market, Malabar black pepper was traded with 2% deficit as compared to the previous week with an average of USD 4,679 per Mt. Indonesia black pepper was reported steady with an average of USD 1,894 per Mt. Following the arrival of new crop, Indonesia white pepper was reported with a slight 1% deficit as opposed to the previous week averaging at USD 3,366 per Mt. In local currency, Muntok white pepper was traded with an average of IDR 48,000 per Kg Malaysian black and white pepper were reported stable with an average of USD 2,340 per Mt for black pepper and USD 3,860 per Mt for white pepper. Viet Nam black and white pepper were also reported stable and unchanged. Following the end of harverst season both in Sri Lanka and China, Sri Lanka black pepper and China white pepper were traded with the same 2% deficit as compared with the previous week with an average of USD 2,493 per Mt and USD 4,790 per Mt respectively.

In international market, FOB price of India black pepper was reported with the same 2% deficit as compared to the previous week at an average of USD 4,960 per Mt. Indonesia black pepper was reported stable and unchanged. Whilst Indonesia white pepper was traded with 1% deficit as compared to the previous week with an average of USD 3,982 per Mt. Malaysia black and white pepper continued stable and unchanged. Furthermore, Viet Nam black pepper 500 g/l, 550 g/l and Viet Nam white pepper were reported with an increase by 1% as compared to the previous week averaging at USD 2,265 per Mt, USD 2,330 per Mt and USD 3,415 per Mt respectively. China white pepper was traded internationally with 2% deficit as opposed to the previous week at an average of USD 4,990 per Mt. The decrease in price of China white pepper aside from the effect of harvest season, it was also contributed by the slight weakening of Chinese Yuan against US Dollar.

IMPORT OF PEPPER BY BAHRAIN

Bahrain, a Middle-eastern country located on an island in the middle of Arabian Gulf, actively import pepper from various pepper producing countries for domestic consumption. In 2017, Bahrain was reported to have imported a total 389 Mt of pepper which 68% or 264 Mt of it comprised of whole pepper while 32% or 125 Mt of it was ground pepper. The average import by Bahrain in 2017 was reported to be 32 Mt per month with the highest quantity recorded in January with 74 Mt. The total expenditure of pepper import by Bahrain amounted to USD 1.4 Million, recording an average price of the total pepper imported by Bahrain at USD 4,099 per Mt for whole pepper and 2,872 per Mt for ground pepper.

2018 pepper import by Bahrain increased by 3% as compared to the previous year totalling at 402 Mt which comprised of 268 Mt of whole pepper and 133 Mt of ground pepper. The average pepper import by Bahrain was reported at 33 Mt per month which peaked in April with 74 Mt. Although increasing in term of quantity, the pepper import by Bahrain decreased by 9% in terms of value and only amounted to USD 1.3 Million. The average price of the total pepper imported by Bahrain was reported to be at USD 3,427 per Mt for whole pepper and USD 2,981 per Mt for ground pepper which meant a loss of 16% for whole pepper and an increase of 4% for ground pepper as compared to the previous year.

Pepper import by Bahrain as of May 2019 was reported with an increase of 2% as compared with the same period in 2018, totalling at 233 Mt which comprised of 144 Mt of whole pepper and 89 Mt of ground pepper. The total expenditure of pepper imports by Bahrain as of May 2019 decreased by 15% as compared to the same period on the previous year, totalling at USD 669,000.

The top five countries of origins of Bahrain pepper both for whole and ground as of May 2019 were reported to be Viet Nam with 103 Mt (a decrease of 33% as compared with the same period in 2018), India with 54 Mt (an increase of 37%), United Arab Emirates with 38 Mt (an increase of 244%), Pakistan with 16 Mt (previous year only 0, 5 Mt) and Jordan with 9 Mt (an increase of 192%). The significant decreased of Bahrain import from Viet Nam could be contributed that Bahrain started to shift import from another origin like India, United Arab Emirates and Pakistan.