According to the World Spice Organization statistics, Vietnam star anise production ranks 2nd in the world. The question is, why is it just a small country, but Vietnam has competitive advantages in producing such a large output of star anise? This article will provide you with everything you need to know about Vietnam star anise production.
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Vietnam star anise production: Overview of Vietnam star anise
Currently, Vietnamese star anise is a rare and valuable product that is being promoted in the mountainous areas of the northern provinces. Because of its benefits in life, star anise deserves to be an indispensable herb in every family.
Characteristics of Vietnam star anise
Star anise is a perennial woody plant with a height of 6 – 10m, appearing in the mountains of northern Vietnam and China. The tree is characterized by green leaves all year round, staggered to each other, lance-shaped or oblong eggs, gradually pointed towards the leaf tail.
Due to the flower shape, people are used to calling it “star anise”, but actually it is actually anise fruit. When young, anise flowers are green, when old, the calyx will dry out and have the familiar dark brown color.
Characteristics of Vietnam star anise
There are 3 types of Vietnam star anise that you may want to know, which are whole star anise, blended star anise, and broken star anise.
| Specifications | Spring whole star anise | Autumn whole star anise | Blended star anise | Broken star anise |
| Moisture | 12 – 14% max | 12 – 14% max | 12 – 14% max | 12 – 14% max |
| Broken | 5 – 10% max | 5 – 10% max | Negotiable | Negotiable |
| Admixture | 1% max | 1% max | Negotiable | Negotiable |
| Flower diameter | 2 cm | 2.5 cm | 1.8 – 2.5 cm | 1.8 – 2.5 cm |
The Vietnamese market can supply different types of star anise that meet all the diverse needs of customers. Because it is a large market, the price and quality of Vietnamese star anise are relatively stable.
Vietnam star anise production: Main growing areas
The three regions that grow the most star anise in Vietnam are Lang Son, Quang Ninh, and Cao Bang, with a total planting area of more than 50,000 hectares. In addition, there are also Bac Kan, Thai Nguyen, and Quang Ninh which also grow star anise plants for export. The 3 regions that grow the most star anise in Vietnam are Lang Son, Quang Ninh, and Cao Bang with a total area of more than 50,000 ha. These regions have suitable soil and climatic conditions for Vietnam star anise production.
Vietnam star anise production: Lang Son star anise growing area
Lang Son province is the most important area of Vietnam star anise production. In Lang Son province, star anise is mainly cultivated in the districts of Van Lang, Van Quang, Cao Loc, Binh Gia, South Truong Dinh, and Bac Son. As of early 2022, the total area of star anise in the province is more than 33,738 hectares, of which the star anise area in the districts of Van Quan, Binh Gia, and Van Lang is over 25,000 hectares, accounting for 74.1% of the total area of star anise in the whole province.
Let’s see one of the largest star anise growing regions in Vietnam, Lang Son, in our video below.
In case you haven’t heard of us before, we are K-Agriculture factory, a company with 25 years of delivering Vietnamese agricultural products to the world.
Vietnam star anise production compared to the world’s
According to the statistics of the World Spice Organization, Vietnam star anise production ranks 2nd globally. With star anise, Vietnam is a potential supplier of the world spice and flavoring market, valued at 21.3 billion USD in 2021 and will increase to 27.4 billion USD in 2026 (according to Marketsandmarkets.com). Besides, according to Tridge data, China, Vietnam, and India are now the dominant suppliers of star anise worldwide. Among them, Vietnam and China are the only two countries that can produce star anise in large quantities thanks to favorable conditions. Vietnam is currently the second biggest supplier of star anise globally, with a total volume of $81.31M export value and accounting for about 18.79% marketing share in export volume (2020 statistics). Normally, Vietnam star anise production is around 5,500 – 6,500 tons annually.
The main Vietnam star anise consumption markets in the world are China, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, the UK, the USA, France, Japan, and Germany. In particular, China and India are the two largest markets for Vietnam’s star anise.
Vietnam’s competitive advantages in star anise production
Why is it just a small country, but Vietnam has competitive advantages in producing such a large output of star anise? There are a few reasons that make it great for Vietnam star anise production and star anise growing, which are favorable geographical conditions, favorable geographical location, skillful workers, and finally, governmental support. In order to improve the Vietnamese star anise production for domestic uses and export, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam additionally encourages businesses to take part in agricultural fairs.
Vietnam star anise production process
Few people know that in the world today, there are only two countries that grow star anise, Vietnam and China, and are also the only two countries in the world that are lucky to have star anise. So, what conditions does it require to grow star anise that only China and Vietnam can supply this spice? Let’s learn about the Vietnam star anise production process in 5 easy steps below!
Choosing the right planting season for star anise
The best planting time is spring or rainy season.
Vietnam star anise production: The density of growing areas
The density of Vietnam star anise production growing areas is about 400-500 plants/ha. In addition to the main crop, star anise can still bear fruit out of season at the end of the year and early spring. However, the quality of star anise in this season is not as good as in the main season and its price is usually cheaper.
Selecting good star anise seeds for planting
For Vietnam star anise production, first of all, selecting good seeds is extremely important. We have to choose healthy, over 10 years old mother trees that bear fruit, and most fruits have 8 – 11 petals for seeding. When ripe, the fruit turns from green to yellow and can be harvested, usually harvested after the frost. After harvesting the fruits, please leave them in a cool place under the roof or dry under light sunlight in the early morning or late afternoon to separate the seeds. After drying for 4-5 days, the seeds will separate from the fruits.
The next step of Vietnam star anise production is storing the seeds. They should be stored in moist sand without sun exposure. Seeds are mixed with moist sand and placed in cleft burrows dug on the hillside, surrounded with kerosene to prevent ants. Outside also dig a trench around to prevent rainwater from flowing in. Once every 2 weeks, the seeds need to be checked again. This preservation method can keep seeds until spring to sow, with the germination rate being about 70-80%.
Ensuring sufficient water, sunlight, and soil moisture conditions
- Water condition
One of the indispensable conditions of cultivation in general and Vietnam star anise production, particularly, is water condition. At the young stage from 1-3 years old, star anise needs a lot of water, because it is a moisture-loving plant. At the maturity stage (over 10 years old), star anise has moderate drought tolerance, and flexibly adapts to different water supply conditions of the environment.
- Sunlight condition
Under 5 years of age, star anise is not tolerant of strong direct sunlight. At the age of 8 years, the star anise plant begins to bloom, as a result, the need for light also increases gradually. By the age of 20 years or more, star anise plants require full sunlight.
Vietnam star anise production: Star anise plants begin to bloom
- Soil condition
Star anise requires to be planted on good soil with a thick layer, pH=4.5, high humus content (>3%), the soil is moist all year round, and well-drained. We should not plant star anise on limestone soil, less acidic or neutral, sandy soil, or thin layer soil with strong erosion. The most suitable soil for growing star anise is brown, red yellow feral soil, with initial canopy cover for newly planted trees. It is advisable to plant anise on hillsides with relatively thick topsoil and sufficient nutrients.
Fertilizing to make star anise plants grow faster
After ensuring sufficient water, sunlight, and soil moisture conditions for plants, the next step of Vietnam star anise production is to fertilize for faster growth.
In order to revive good growth and good fruit yield, it is necessary to apply bio-organic fertilizers every year and NPK 12-12-17-9+TE (about 15-20 kg/tree) in the period before the plants bloom and after they bear fruit. When fertilizing, it is necessary to dig a trench around the canopy layers, spread fertilizer and then fill it with soil, remove weeds, vines, and shrubs around, and cultivate the roots.
Harvesting and preliminary processing
The final step of Vietnam star anise production is harvesting and preliminary processing. Star anise usually bears fruit from March to May. In July and September, star anise begins to ripen and can be harvested. Normally, we can only get fruit from an anise tree with an age of 5 years or more, with only 2 crops a year, so this is considered a “rare” item. After being harvested, the fruit should be dried immediately as it is easy to get mold if stored for a long time. You can also dip it in boiling water for a few minutes to kill the yeast before drying. With this method, the fruit has a beautiful, red color, but the essential oil content is slightly reduced. Usually, every 100 kg of fresh fruit after drying will give about 25-30 kg of dry fruit.
K-Agriculture Factory: Dry star anise after harvesting
Star anise is commonly consumed as dried fruit or an essential oil product. The essential oil can be stored when the fruit is fresh or dried.
Top 3 reputable Vietnam star anise production companies
As it is a country with large growing areas as well as favorable conditions for growing star anise, Vietnam star anise price is reasonable and its quality is extremely high as well. Below we provide you with the top 3 prestigious star anise suppliers from Vietnam that you can not miss.
Vietnam star anise production company: Phalco Vietnam
Phalco Vietnam Joint Stock Company is one of the world’s leading in Vietnam star anise production. It processes and supplies a variety of spices such as cinnamon, star anise, ginger, and a number of other agricultural products such as cashew nuts, and desiccated coconut.
Phalco Vietnam Joint Stock Company
If you are intending to import star anise from Vietnam, Phalco Vietnam is one of the reputable companies you should consider.
K-Agriculture Factory: The best Vietnam star anise production manufacturer
If you are looking for the best star anise supplier in Vietnam, you can’t help but mention K-Agriculture Factory – an agricultural company with 26 years of establishment and development. It has exported agricultural products to more than 100 countries around the world, with long-term customers and a wide network of international customers. K-Agriculture Factory is also supported by The Vietnam Ministry of Industry and Trade, so it can export high-quality star anise in Vietnam worldwide. Being a giant in trading star anise products internationally in Vietnam – the biggest Vietnamese star anise exporter since 1996, K-agriculture is proud to bring buyers broken cinnamon with uniform quality standards and affordable prices.
The best Vietnam star anise production company: K-Agriculture Factory
K-Agriculture has a star anise factory in Van Quan, Lang Son with the production process and product quality tested by FDA, HACCP, and ISO certificates. We are proud to have conquered the most demanding market, the US, in terms of product quality. K-Agriculture Factory promises to supply the best star anise quality at a competitive price, with the best customer service.
This is our newest update on the whole Vietnam star anise price in August 2022:
| Whole star anise | Color: Yellow nature
Impurities: 0.5% max Humidity: 12.5% max |
Cont 20FT | 10kg/carton | 6.5 tons/cont | 8.856,1 – 9130 USD/ton |
| Cont 40FT | 10kg/carton | 16.5 tons/cont | 8.633 – 8900 USD/ton |
Contact us for more information:
Email: info@k-agriculture.com
Website: https://k-agriculture.com/
Whatsapp: +84 84 444 4867 (Ms Camila), +84855555837 (Ms Kris)
Agrideco Vietnam: Top Vietnam star anise production company
Agrideco Vietnam Co., Ltd. is a small company established in 2015 in Hanoi, Vietnam. Despite being a young enterprise, Agrideco’s board of directors are all people with many years of experience in the agricultural industry.
Agrideco Vietnam: One of the best star anise suppliers
Agrideco produces and exports a wide range of Vietnamese agricultural products such as carrots, peppers, cabbage, star anise, etc. All products are fresh and pure as Agrideco focuses on quality and product inspection at every stage. It can be said that Agrideco is a reliable company in providing star anise.
