Vietnam agri-export harvest calendar: when to book cashew, pepper, coffee, spices and fruit

Most buying problems with Vietnamese commodities start with timing. A contract placed in the wrong month can mean thin availability, firmer prices or a lot that is not yet dried to specification. This Vietnam harvest calendar sets out when each crop comes in and how to plan your bookings around it.

Vietnam harvest calendar at a glance

Harvest windows are typical and move with weather each year. Shipment windows are confirmed with each offer.

Cashew and pepper: the spring crops

Vietnam is the world’s largest exporter of both cashew kernels and black pepper, and both crops are harvested from February to May. That makes the first half of the year the busiest period for growers, processors and freight.

For pepper, early new-crop lots can carry higher moisture until they are fully dried and cleaned. If you buy new crop, write a moisture maximum into the contract (typically 12.5–13%) and approve a sample from the actual lot. Buyers who need goods in the first quarter usually buy from old-crop stock; buyers covering the second half of the year often book during or just after the harvest, when new-crop volume is available. For cashew kernels, agree grade, packing and shipment month early and confirm with each offer how the contract fits the processing schedule.

Coffee: Robusta and Arabica

Vietnam is the world’s second-largest coffee producer and the largest producer of Robusta. The Robusta harvest runs from November to January in the Central Highlands; Arabica follows a longer window from October to February in the highlands around Da Lat and in the Northwest.

New-crop Robusta reaches export quality only after drying, hulling and grading, so the first shipments of the season follow the harvest by some weeks. If you need January–March arrivals, discuss timing at the technical alignment stage. EU buyers should also raise EUDR due-diligence data requirements early, since they are easier to organise before lots are assembled.

Spices from the Northern mountains

Vietnam is a leading exporter of cassia and star anise. Star anise has two crops: the main crop from August to October and a smaller spring crop from February to April. Cassia bark is harvested in two windows, March to May and August to October. Because the crops differ, the contract should state which crop you are buying, together with size, broken percentage and moisture.

Macadamia, mango and jackfruit

Macadamia is harvested from August to November in the Central Highlands and Northwest; nut-in-shell is dried before cracking, so kernel availability follows the harvest. Mango has a main crop from March to June, with off-season fruit for most of the year, which helps soft-dried mango programmes run beyond the peak. Jackfruit is available year-round, so jackfruit chips and freeze-dried jackfruit can be planned on a steady schedule.

Practical booking advice

• Plan annual volumes by product and quarter, and share them at the buying brief stage.
• Book seasonal crops one to three months before your required shipment month, earlier for peak periods.
• Specify new crop or old crop in the contract, with moisture and defect limits that match.
• Approve a pre-shipment sample from the actual lot, not only a type sample.
• Allow time for phytosanitary and fumigation certificates where your market requires them.
• Spread volume across shipments to reduce exposure to a single harvest or vessel.

Plan your next season with us

Le Duong Global supplies cashew from our own factories in Dong Nai and nuts, dried fruit, spices and coffee through selected processors in the growing regions, under one specification and inspection process. See how we work or browse our sectors.