SIP Markets Spices & Culinary Contact desk

Cumin

CUMINSpices & Culinary6 listed markets

Cumin is the dried ripe fruit (commonly called seed) of Cuminum cyminum, an annual herb of the carrot family grown for its warm, earthy, slightly bitter aromatic oil. The seed is harvested, threshed, sun-dried and machine-cleaned before sale, then traded whole or ground for use across food processing, spice blending, pharmaceutical and flavouring industries worldwide. India is the largest producer and exporter by volume, followed by Turkey, Syria, China and Afghanistan. The crop is an annual field crop grown on irrigated and rain-fed land, harvested once per season and stored in bulk between harvests, so quality at the point of sale depends heavily on cleaning method, sterilization method and storage time rather than on the plant variety alone.

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Listed cumin markets

Each line is a grade at a delivery point. Open one for its full specification and terms.

SymbolGradeDelivery pointState
CUMIN.EURO995.IN-RJEurope quality cumin 99.5%Rajasthan, IndiaBuys and sells, quoted on request CUMIN.SING99.IR-30Singapore quality cumin 99%Alborz, IranBuys and sells, quoted on request CUMIN.SING99.EG-BNSSingapore quality cumin 99%Beni Suef, EgyptBuys and sells, quoted on request CUMIN.SING99.IN-GJSingapore quality cumin 99%Gujarat, IndiaBuys and sells, quoted on request CUMIN.SING99.CN-XJSingapore quality cumin 99%Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu, ChinaBuys and sells, quoted on request CUMIN.STEAMEXPORT.IN-GJSteam-sterilized machine-cleaned cumin seedGujarat, IndiaBuys and sells, quoted on request

Price guarantee on cumin

If a move in the cumin price would hurt you, fix the price now. We agree it today for the months you name, and it holds whatever the market does in between.

BuyingYou use or resell cumin and need to know your cost. We fix your purchase price for the quantity and months you name.
SellingYou grow, produce or hold cumin and need to know your revenue. We fix your sale price ahead of production or shipment.
SettlementAgainst delivery of the cumin.

A price is fixed only once a trader confirms it in writing. Ask the desk for a fixed price.

Caps and floors on cumin

A fixed price binds buyer and seller. A cap or a floor is a guaranteed price on one side only. You pay a fee up front for it, and it is a right, not an obligation: you use it only if the market moves against you.

CapFor buyers. A guaranteed maximum price for cumin. If the market is above the cap when you buy, you pay the cap. If it is below, you buy at the market price and let the cap lapse.
FloorFor sellers. A guaranteed minimum price for cumin. If the market is below the floor when you sell, you receive the floor. If it is above, you sell at the market price and let the floor lapse.
FeeAgreed and paid up front. It is the whole cost of the cap or floor, and it is not refunded if the cap or floor goes unused.

A cap or a floor is in place only once a trader confirms it in writing. Ask the desk for a cap or a floor.

Grades

International cumin trade has no single mandatory grading scale. Buyers instead specify against a stack of measurable thresholds: purity/foreign-matter content, moisture, volatile oil content, and, since 2020, a confirmed non-detect on ethylene oxide and its breakdown product 2-chloroethanol, because fumigation with ethylene oxide (banned as a food-contact treatment in the EU and UK) was the default sterilization method used by many exporters before the 2020-2024 EU recall wave.

Purity, foreign matter and physical condition

2 grades

Codex Alimentarius CXS 327-2017 (Standard for Cumin); European Spice Association Quality Minima Documentextraneous/foreign matter by weight,foreign objects over 2mm diameter,broken/immature seed count,moisture content,insect/rodent contamination

GradeDefinition
BULKAnonymous mandi-lot cuminVisual grading only at point of sale, no disclosed sterilization method, purity and moisture not certified against a written threshold.
EXPORTMachine-cleaned export cuminPurity 99.0-99.5% by weight, foreign matter under 1% by weight, no foreign object over 2mm, moisture at or under 10-13% depending on destination Codex vs ESA threshold.

Analytical requirements

2 grades

ISO 928 (total ash), ISO 930 (acid-insoluble ash), ISO 939 (moisture, entrainment method), ISO 6571 (volatile oil content, steam distillation)total ash %,acid-insoluble ash %,moisture % (entrainment method),volatile oil content % v/w

GradeDefinition
STDStandard analytical cuminTotal ash under 9.5%, acid-insoluble ash under 1.5%, volatile oil 2.5% minimum.
PREMIUMHigh-oil cuminVolatile oil 3.5-4.0% or higher, total ash and acid-insoluble ash within Codex limits.

Sterilization and residue verification

2 grades

EU Regulation (EC) 396/2005 (pesticide MRLs) as applied to ethylene oxide, treated as a non-approved substance in the EU/UK with a de facto reporting limit of 0.1 mg/kg for ethylene oxide plus 2-chloroethanol combined; Spices Board of India Quality Evaluation Laboratory protocolsethylene oxide residue (mg/kg),2-chloroethanol residue (mg/kg),declared sterilization method (steam vs EtO fumigation vs irradiation)

GradeDefinition
UNVERIFIEDSterilization method undisclosedNo sterilization method declared, no residue certificate issued at point of sale.
STEAMCERTSteam-sterilized, residue-tested cuminSteam or non-EtO sterilization method disclosed, independent lab certificate confirming ethylene oxide and 2-chloroethanol combined residue at or under 0.1 mg/kg.

Specifications outside this list trade on request. Send us the contract specification you work to and we will price against it.

Locations

CountryRegionWe trade it as
IndiaGujarat and Rajasthan (Unjha, Mehsana, Banaskantha, Jodhpur belt)origin, largest global producer and exporter
TurkeySoutheastern Anatoliaorigin
EgyptMinya, Assiut, Sohagorigin
ChinaXinjiang, Inner Mongoliaorigin
Afghanistannorthern provincesorigin, conflict-affected supply chain, must-verify before sourcing
United Statesnationaldestination, food processing and retail
Germanynationaldestination, EU spice-blending hub
Netherlandsnationaldestination, EU re-export hub
United Kingdomnationaldestination
United Arab Emiratesnationaldestination and re-export hub
Vietnamnationaldestination, re-export and processing hub
Bangladeshnationaldestination

Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown here.

Timing

Windows outside this pattern trade on request, including carry, forward positions and stock already sitting in a destination warehouse.

HarvestArrival

OriginJFMAMJJASONDWindow
IndiaHarvest Feb to Mar, arrival Apr to OctRabi crop, sown October/November, harvested February/March in Gujarat and Rajasthan; new-crop cumin reaches export cleaning houses by April and moves through the year from bulk storage.
TurkeyHarvest Jul to Aug, arrival Aug to NovSummer harvest in Southeastern Anatolia.
EgyptHarvest Apr to May, arrival May to AugSpring harvest.
ChinaHarvest Jul to Aug, arrival Sep to NovSummer harvest in Xinjiang.

Windows outside this pattern trade on request, including carry, forward positions and stock already sitting in a destination warehouse.

Common questions

What grades of cumin does SIP Global trade?

We quote 6 published grades of cumin, including BULK - Anonymous mandi-lot cumin, EXPORT - Machine-cleaned export cumin, STD - Standard analytical cumin, PREMIUM - High-oil cumin, UNVERIFIED - Sterilization method undisclosed and STEAMCERT - Steam-sterilized, residue-tested cumin. Every grade is tied to a delivery point and a settlement route. Grades outside the published list are priced on request.

How is cumin graded?

International cumin trade has no single mandatory grading scale. Buyers instead specify against a stack of measurable thresholds: purity/foreign-matter content, moisture, volatile oil content, and, since 2020, a confirmed non-detect on ethylene oxide and its breakdown product 2-chloroethanol, because fumigation with ethylene oxide (banned as a food-contact treatment in the EU and UK) was the default sterilization method used by many exporters before the 2020-2024 EU recall wave. Grading runs on 3 systems: Purity, foreign matter and physical condition, Analytical requirements and Sterilization and residue verification.

Where does SIP Global trade cumin?

We trade cumin in India, Turkey, Egypt, China, Afghanistan, United States, Germany and Netherlands and 4 further markets. Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown.

When is cumin harvested and when does it arrive?

Typical windows are India: harvest feb to mar, arrival apr to oct; Turkey: harvest jul to aug, arrival aug to nov; Egypt: harvest apr to may, arrival may to aug; China: harvest jul to aug, arrival sep to nov. Harvest is when the lot is taken at origin, arrival is when a shipment from that origin lands in a consuming market. Windows outside this pattern, including carry, trade on request.

Can I fix a cumin price ahead?

Yes. SIP Global fixes a cumin price ahead for buyers and for sellers, as a price guarantee. Send the grade, the quantity and the months you need covered. We settle against delivery, and a price is fixed only once a trader confirms it in writing.

How do I get a price for cumin?

Send the grade, the origin and the delivery window to the SIP Global desk. That is enough for a trader to come back with a level and a settlement route. 6 listed cumin markets are published on this page, each with its full specification and terms. We buy and sell the physical cargo, prompt to long dated.

Standards and data sources

The grading language on this sheet follows published standards. Trade volumes and tariff lines are public record. Verify anything here against the source.

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