The genus Cinnamomum

Japan
Economics and Marketing of Cinnamon and Cassia 295
Table 12.10 Mexico’s imports of ground cassia and cinnamon – country-wise sources
Country of 1995 1996 1997 1998
origin
Qty Value Qty Value Qty Value Qty Value
Cinnamon,
whole
Sri Lanka 4390 17,902 5128 20,442 5052 25,522 4577 28,552
US 33 201 170 248 338 268 184 615
Singapore – – – – – – 41 248
Indonesia 12 52 22 76 20 51 66 126
India 14 52 1 4 8 31 10 48
China
Cinnamon,
ground
– 3 9 7 7 31 2 12
US 30 146 17 87 625 170 311 164
Sri Lanka 16 35 4 12 11 11 24 126
Indonesia 6 25 27 120 26 136 15 106
India 2 13 5 22 19 48 42 31
China – – 1 9 8 13 1 1
Spain – – 1 19 – – – –
Honduras – – 3 12 – – – –
Grenada – – 5 24 – – – –
Brazil – 5 – 3 20 15 – –
Total 4510 18,458 5416 21,175 6193 26,389 5275 30,031
Note
Qty in tonnes, value in thousand US$.
Cinnamon and cassia are the most important spices imported into Japan. In the import
statistics both spices are treated under cinnamon, although the bulk is, in fact, cassia.
China is by far the largest supplier of cassia, accounting for over 90% of total imports.
In 1996 Japan imported 2361 t of cinnamon and cassia worth US$5.35m. The cinnamon
import was mainly from Sri Lanka. During the same year Japan imported cinnamon
worth 12.3 million Sri Lankan rupees. Cinnamon quills accounted for about 21% of the
total imports of cinnamon from Sri Lanka. In 1998 Japan’s total import was 1797t
worth US$3.9 m. China was the leading supplier of both ground (333MT) and unground
(1085MT) cinnamon and cassia to Japan in 1998 (Table 12.11).
Australia
Cinnamon and cassia are imported into Australia in the forms of cinnamon bark and
quills, ground cinnamon and cassia and cassia bark.
Sri Lanka has maintained its position as the major supplier of cinnamon to the
Australian market. Indonesia is the other major source. The US, Singapore and Germany
are the non-producing suppliers, and are constant sources of the ground product, albeit
at a fluctuating level. The imports of ground cinnamon accounted for more than 50%
in the beginning of 1990s and the share came down to around 33% in 1998. The total
import of cinnamon (both whole and ground) has remained around 350t during the
past ten years.