According to statistics from the Vietnam Pepper and Spice Association (VPSA), Vietnam's star anise exports in September reached 704 tons with a value of USD 3.2 million. Prosi Thang Long is still the largest exporter with 90 tons.

In the first 9 months of 2024, Vietnam exported 9,822 tons of star anise, with a total export turnover of nearly USD 47 million, a decrease of 9.5% in volume and 20.6% in value. Among the export markets, India is the main export market for Vietnamese star anise with 6,264 tons, followed by the US, Taiwan (China), and China.

India remains Vietnam's largest star anise export market

Leading exporters include Prosi Thang Long, Tuan Minh, Senspice Vietnam, Hong Son Vietnam, and AC Vietnam.

In 2023, Vietnam earned USD 83 million from star anise exports, with an output of 16,136 tons. India is Vietnam's largest export market with 499 tons, accounting for 57% of the proportion.

According to the World Spice Association, Vietnam has a precious spice plant, with an annual output among the top in the world, which is star anise.

The reason why star anise is considered a "treasure" is because this is a native plant that very few countries in the world can grow. In fact, star anise is found almost exclusively in Vietnam and China.

According to the Vietnam Forestry Science Institute, star anise is a medium-sized tree, 2-6m high, the whole tree is slender and diamond-shaped, green all year round, and the trunk grows straight. Each year the tree is only harvested twice, so star anise is rare and even more precious.

Star anise usually gives ripe fruit harvest in September or April, each crop lasts 3-4 months. Normally, an anise tree must be 5 years old or older to be harvested, and only 2 crops can be harvested each year, so this is considered a "rare" commodity. From the 10th year onwards, 1 hectare of star anise can generate an income of up to VND 400 million/year. Because it is a perennial plant, from the time it starts to flower, the star anise tree can be harvested continuously for the next dozen years.

In particular, Lang Son is currently the place with the most star anise in Vietnam with more than 43,370 hectares of star anise forest, accounting for about 70% of the country's star anise area, of which more than 28,000 hectares of star anise are being harvested stably, with dried star anise output reaching from 7,500 to 16,000 tons/year.

Vietnam is currently one of the strongest countries in spice exports, ranking second in the world in star anise exports. According to economic experts, Vietnam still has a lot of room to develop spice products.

Last year, the total export value of Vietnamese spices reached more than USD 1.4 billion. This industry aims to increase its export target to USD 2 billion by 2025.

In 2024, the weather forecast is still complicated, with the El Nino phenomenon affecting many crops. Therefore, the output of cinnamon, star anise, etc. will be affected, especially in areas affected by climate change.