Spices and Herbs

significant suppliers are Nigeria, Thailand, India, South Africa and
Nicaragua. Between 1995 and 1997 imports from China dropped
from 682 to 80 tonnes. The United Kingdom, as a re-exporter, is an
important source of supply within the EU.
Coriander Together with cumin seed and turmeric this spice is an essential
ingredient of curry powder and for other international meat or salad
dishes of popular ethnic cuisine. In bakeries it is used in cakes,
apple pies and stewed fruits. In volume terms coriander was the
third most important spice imported to The Netherlands in 1997,
but its value is less significant because of its low price per
kilogram. The import volume increased by 20 per cent between
1995 and 1997 to 4,281 tonnes, while the total import value more
than doubled due to stock shortage, because of bad weather
conditions. Since 1996 less has been imported from Russia,
previously the main supplier. Instead, large quantities, at a higher
price, came from Morocco, Bulgaria, Hungary, Egypt and the
Czech Republic. Within the EU, Belgium and the United Kingdom
are important sources of supply.
Nutmeg The Netherlands plays a central role in the world trade in nutmeg,
importing whole nutmegs for cleaning and processing. A large
proportion of those imports is re-exported, primarily to the USA
and Germany. Imports increased to a total volume of 4,166 tonnes
in 1997. Imports from Indonesia, the main supplier, have increased.
Other suppliers include Grenada, Singapore, Sri Lanka, India and,
to a lesser extent, Malaysia.
Mace Because it is a by-product of nutmeg processing, the market for
mace depends largely on developments in that trade. Demand for
mace has increased because mace is increasingly used in the meat
and food processing industries in the manufacture of sauces and
spice mixtures for sauces and pickles. Between 1995 and 1997 the
import volume of mace almost doubled and it was mainly sourced
from Indonesia, Grenada, Vietnam and Singapore.
Paprika Paprika powder is an important spice for the Dutch market and is
used in a wide variety of spice mixtures for (minced) meat, stews,
(dip) sauces and salad dressings. After a rise in the mid-1990s, the
volume of Dutch imports showed a fluctuating pattern between
1995 and 1997 which amounted to 3,855 tonnes. This was part of
an increasing trend in the value of imports.
In 1997 the total import value amounted to ECU 7.5 million. Most
Dutch imports came from European countries (Spain and
Germany). Significant non-EU sources were Hungary, South
Africa, Thailand, Yugoslavia and increasingly India.
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