India Spice Sourcing Calendar: What Drives Timing
What actually changes between new-crop and carryover spice: the freshness-sensitive specs by crop and hub, with figures.
Freshness-sensitive specs by crop (verified)
Rather than fixed calendar months, buyers should watch the specs that shift between fresh crop and carryover. The table maps each crop to its hub and the quality metric that moves with freshness.
| Crop | Hub | Freshness-sensitive spec |
|---|---|---|
| Cumin | Unjha (Gujarat) | Purity 99-99.5% |
| Red chilli | Guntur (Andhra Pradesh) | ASTA colour (fades with age) |
| Turmeric | Erode / Nizamabad | Curcumin 1.5-6%; moisture <=12% |
| Black pepper | Kochi (Kerala) | Bulk density (MG1 ~500-550 g/l) |
| Green cardamom | Kochi auction (Kerala) | Bold size 6-8mm / AGEB |
Why timing shows up in the spec, not just the price
- Chilli ASTA colour fades over storage, so new-crop chilli tends to test higher on extractable colour.
- Turmeric and other whole spices must hold moisture at or below 12% for export; poorly dried new crop can fail on moisture.
- Cardamom clears at auction, so timing shows up directly in price rather than a fixed list.
How a sourcing desk handles timing
YouPals confirms current-crop availability and tests the freshness-sensitive spec at the point of sourcing, rather than relying on a fixed calendar. We own no storage or processing and make no processing claim.
Frequently asked
When should I buy new-crop Indian spice?
We do not publish fixed harvest months from our verified sources. Instead, track freshness-sensitive specs: chilli ASTA colour, turmeric moisture and curcumin, cumin purity. New crop generally tests better on these.
Sourcing this? Tell us the spice, grade and destination and we return a documented offer — vetted supply, QC oversight, and the test dossier your market needs.
Start a sourcing enquiry →What this page does not tell you
- Exact harvest / arrival months
- Specific harvest and market-arrival months per crop are not in our verified sources; we confirm current-crop availability at the point of sourcing instead of asserting a calendar.
- Regional season variation
- Season timing varies by state and year; our sources do not quantify this, so we describe the driver, not dates.
Reviewed 16 July 2026.
Sources
- Spices Board of India — Export statistics· Tier 1, retrieved 2026-07-16