Indian fennel seed is graded on three things: colour, size and purity. Greener seed usually commands more, and so does cleaner seed. Size grades range from fine, small seed to bold seed.
There is no single national grading system used by every exporter. Names differ between suppliers, so the grade must be defined in your contract.
Most Indian fennel is grown in Gujarat and Rajasthan as a winter crop and traded through Unjha. It is harvested roughly February to April, though green types are often picked earlier. Confirm the timing with your supplier for each crop year.
Grading by colour
Colour runs from bright green through light green and greenish yellow to pale yellow or brownish. Greener seed is usually from an earlier harvest and careful drying out of strong sun, and tends to have a fresher aroma. Paler seed is often from later harvest, sun drying, rain at harvest or age.
The greenest, finest seed is often sold as Lucknow type or Lucknow fennel. It is widely used as a mouth freshener after meals. Our guide on Lucknow fennel versus Gujarat fennel explains the difference.
Grading by size
- Fine or small seed: often the greenest and sweetest, used as a mouth freshener.
- Medium seed: general culinary use, whole or ground.
- Bold seed: larger, plumper grains, popular in some markets for whole use.
Grading by purity
Like cumin, fennel is sold as machine-cleaned and sortex-cleaned grades. Machine cleaning removes dust, stones and stalks. Sortex cleaning adds a colour sorter that removes discoloured seed and foreign matter. Trade descriptions such as 98 or 99 percent purity are common, for illustration. Your limit depends on use.
Some suppliers also offer Singapore and Europe quality fennel, borrowing the cumin terms. Treat these as loose descriptions and ask for numbers.
Higher purity costs more, because each cleaning and sorting pass removes some good seed. If you grind the fennel, a well-cleaned machine grade may meet your spec. If you sell it whole, sortex grades usually save complaints. Our guide on machine-cleaned versus sortex-cleaned explains the two steps.
What to put in a fennel spec
- Colour, ideally against an approved sample, since words like "green" are open to opinion.
- Size or seed type, and the share of broken seed allowed.
- Purity and admixture limits.
- Moisture and volatile oil content.
- Pesticide residues against your market's limits.
- A clear statement that no colour has been added, and a test for synthetic dyes.
- No ethylene oxide treatment, for the EU and many other markets.
- Crop year and packing.
How we help
We source fennel from processors in north Gujarat, match colour against your approved sample at loading, and have sealed samples tested at NABL-accredited labs. To find the grade you need, start with a free sourcing review.