Cumin Seed (Jeera) India

Cumin seed is native of Egypt which is now mainly grown in India, Middle east (Iran,

India is the largest producer, exporter and consumer of cumin seed with Syria, Turkey and Iran being main competitors. Being a rabi crop sowing period is from October and contiunes till the fist week of December and the crop is harvested from Feb onwards and main arrivals in market are during March-April. Generally cumin crop gets matured in 110-115 days. In Syria the harvesting period is June-July whereas for Turkey it is July-September and Iran June-August so India remains the major supplier to the world market till the crop of its competitors arrive. India consumes 90% of its total output whereas Middle east producers exports around 85-90% of their cumin production. The estimated world production is around 300000 mt with India contributing bulk of it in the region of 200000 to 220000 tons.

India exports cumin seed to many countries in Europe, Gulf, Far East Asia, Other Asian countries, America etc. where it is widely preferred over cumin of other origins. It is also exported in powder form mainly to U.S. and U.K. India also exports cumin oil and oleoresins but in very limited quantity. Exports of jeera have shown variations over a period of time due to fluctuating production in India.

The prices for cumin seed are highly volatile due to supply and demand fluctuations and also as the market is mainly dominated by stockists and speculators. India is having a very big domestic market so farmers need not to rely just on exports to get good price. With the availability of cumin futures, the traders can now hedge their risk on exchanges.

Syrian Cumin Seed - Jeera Scenario

The 95% of the Syrian production is concentrated in the region of Aleppo, Idleb, Hama,

have a big impact on cumin prices in world market. Syrian climate is conducive to cumin crop and grown in winter with sowing going on for 2 to 3 months depending upon the climatic conditions and harvested during June-July. Normally, syrian and iranian crop arrives in international market at the same time.

The local consumption of cumin is very less and around 85-90% of its production is exported. Arab countries are the biggest buyer with UAE and Saudi Arabia among top two importers.

Iranian Cumin Seed - Jeera Scenario

In Iran, cumin is mainly produced in the Khorasan Province with around 4000 hectares of area under cultivation and estimated production of 30000 tons. The harvesting period is June-August coinciding with Syrian harvesting period. The local consumption unlike India is very limited and major produce is available for export. U.S., Europe and Middle-East countries remains the main target buyers for Iranian cumin. Its production plays an important role in determination of prices of other origins in international market as Iran is one of the major exporter to the world market.

Though it is called as Cumin in International market, it is known by its various names in different langauages.

Botanical Name: Cuminum cyminum L.
Hindi : Jira, Jeera, Zira or Safaid jeera Or Zeera
Oriya : Jira, Jeera
Kannada : Jeeriege
Dutch : Komijn
Gujarati : Jiru or Jeeru
Bengali : Safaid jira or Zeera
Kashmiri : Zyur
German : Romischer Kummel
Italian : Comino
Tamil : Ziragum or Jeeragam
Russian : Kmin
Telugu : Jidakara, Jikaka
Chinese : Machin
Malayalam : Jeerakam
Portuguese : Cominho
Marathi : Jeregire
Sindhi : Zero
French : Cumin
Arabic : Kammun
Swedish : Spiskummin
Spanish : Comino
Sanskrit : Jiraka, Jira