Vietnam is a strong country in spices with over 500,000 hectares of various crops and about 400 enterprises, along with hundreds of thousands of farmers participating in production and export activities.
Notably, a spice considered a “billion-dollar flower” consistently brings in tens of millions of USD each year, which is star anise. Currently, Vietnam ranks second in the world in terms of star anise exports.
According to preliminary statistics from the Vietnam Pepper Association (VPA), Vietnam’s star anise exports in December 2024 reached 1,705 tons, with a value of over 6.2 million USD, a strong increase of 48.6% compared to November 2024. The largest export market remains India, accounting for 72.5% with 1,236 tons, an increase of 72.4% compared to November.
Vietnam remains the world’s second-largest producer of star anise.
In the entire year of 2024, Vietnam exported 14,004 tons of star anise, with a total value of over 63.7 million USD, a decrease of 5.7% in volume and 16.2% in value.
Earlier in 2023, Vietnam earned 83 million USD from the export of star anise, with a production of 16,136 tons. India was the largest export market for Vietnam, with 499 tons, accounting for 57%. While India is an important supplier of raw materials and finished products to Vietnam, such as steel, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, animal feed, and seafood, the top export categories from Vietnam to India are personal computers, mobile phones and components, steel, chemicals, wood and wood products, footwear, spices, coffee, and pepper.
Star anise is a medium-sized tree, 2-6 meters tall, with a straight trunk and green foliage year-round. The tree can only be harvested twice in a year, making star anise even rarer and more precious.
The star anise blooms twice a year. The first harvest usually occurs in June. The second one is around August-September.
In fact, Vietnam and China are the two countries that can produce star anise in large quantities due to favorable conditions. According to statistics, Vietnam’s production of star anise ranks second in the world, following China, with an estimated annual output of 22,000 tons over an area of about 55,000 hectares.
Star anise is one of the high-value agricultural products, favored not only domestically but also in many international markets. Thanks to its distinctive fragrance and various uses in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics industries, Vietnam’s star anise has established its position in the global market. A market study in 2021 by SNV (Netherlands Development Organization) in Vietnam highlighted the outstanding advantages of Vietnamese cinnamon and star anise, including suitable climate and soil conditions for high-quality varieties and the support from local authorities for the development of agriculture.