Longpepper
Long pepper is the dried, unripe fruit spike of Piper longum, a climbing perennial in the same family as black pepper (Piperaceae) but a distinct species. The spike is a compact, cylindrical catkin roughly 2 to 4 cm long made up of many tiny fruits fused around a central stalk, harvested green and sun-dried until grey-brown and hard. It carries a sharper, hotter and more resinous heat than black pepper, driven by piperine and piperlongumine content, and is used both as a culinary spice and as a traditional medicine ingredient (notably in Ayurveda, where the dried fruit is called Pippali). It is traded whole (unground) or crushed/ground, and separately from piplamul, the dried root of the same plant, which is a different plant part with its own trade and classification.
Listed longpepper markets
Each line is a grade at a delivery point. Open one for its full specification and terms.
Grades
Grading is a physical and chemical assay of a dried fruit-spike sample: foreign matter content by weight, total ash and acid-insoluble ash (mineral/soil contamination), and alcohol-soluble and water-soluble extractive values (a proxy for retained resin and active-compound content), each measured against fixed percentage thresholds.
Pippali (Fruit) monograph
1 grade
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| WHOLEWhole dried long pepper fruit spike | Foreign matter not more than 2%; total ash not more than 7%; acid-insoluble ash not more than 0.5%; alcohol-soluble extractive not less than 5%; water-soluble extractive not less than 7% |
Lots outside this monograph's thresholds trade on request; no separate whole-vs-broken commercial size grade for the fruit spike itself is verified from a primary source.
Locations
| Country | Region | We trade it as |
|---|---|---|
| India | Meghalaya, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal | Origin |
| Indonesia | Java, Sumatra | Origin |
| United States | National | Destination |
| European Union | National | Destination |
Locations outside this list trade on request.
Timing
Long pepper fruit spikes are picked green while still tender, then sun-dried over several days until grey-brown and hard; harvest month reflects when the fresh spike is picked, arrival month reflects when the dried, aggregated lot reaches an export-ready buyer, which lags the picking date by the drying and collection process.
HarvestArrival
| Origin | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | Window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | Harvest | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Jan to Jan, arrival Feb to AprMeghalaya (East Khasi Hills): spikes hand-picked green in January, then sun-dried; arrival window is an estimate covering post-harvest drying and smallholder aggregation, not confirmed to a primary trade-flow source. |
Windows outside the pattern below trade on request.
Common questions
What grades of longpepper does SIP Global trade?
We quote 1 published grade of longpepper, including WHOLE - Whole dried long pepper fruit spike. Every grade is tied to a delivery point and a settlement route. Grades outside the published list are priced on request.
How is longpepper graded?
Grading is a physical and chemical assay of a dried fruit-spike sample: foreign matter content by weight, total ash and acid-insoluble ash (mineral/soil contamination), and alcohol-soluble and water-soluble extractive values (a proxy for retained resin and active-compound content), each measured against fixed percentage thresholds. Grading runs on 1 system: Pippali (Fruit) monograph.
Where does SIP Global trade longpepper?
We trade longpepper in India, Indonesia, United States and European Union. Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown.
When is longpepper harvested and when does it arrive?
Typical windows are India: harvest jan to jan, arrival feb to apr. 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.
How do I get a price for longpepper?
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. 1 listed longpepper market is published on this page, each with its full specification and terms. We take both sides, physical and financial, 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.
- UN ComtradeOfficial international trade statistics by HS code
- ITC Trade MapBilateral trade flows and tariff data
- FAOSTATFAO production and trade series for agricultural commodities
Price this with our desk
Grade, origin and window if you have them. If what you are carrying does not fit the sheet above, describe it in your own words and a trader will take it from there.