Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) is a tropical evergreen tree; both nutmeg and mace come from its fruit. Green cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) is a leafy, ginger-like plant grown in the shade of Sri Lanka’s hill country. Both are grown in the island’s mid-country spice gardens.

Why pilot lots. Nutmeg seedlings have a long taproot, and nobody has a good record yet of how they survive several days in transit bare-root. We start with a small lot so you can check arrival condition before ordering more. Cardamom travels as rhizome divisions, which are sturdier.

What to include in your request

• Which plant, and how many
• Seedling size
• Destination airport and your import permit status

Sri Lankan export approval. Planting material of Sri Lanka’s export-agriculture crops leaves the country only with a no-objection certificate from the Department of Export Agriculture, plus a phytosanitary certificate from the National Plant Quarantine Service. We apply for both and confirm approval before we invoice. Varieties developed by Sri Lankan research institutes cannot be exported, so we supply farmer-grown stock only.

Importing into your country

Every shipment travels with a phytosanitary certificate from Sri Lanka’s National Plant Quarantine Service. What else you need depends on where the plants are going. Send us your species list and destination and we check the rules before we quote.

• European Union: all plants for planting need a phytosanitary certificate, including small lots and parcels. Some genera are on the EU high-risk plants list and cannot be imported until they are assessed, so we check each species first. Any growing medium must be new or treated and declared on the certificate, and professional importers register with their national plant-health authority.
• United Kingdom: plants for planting need a phytosanitary certificate, pre-notification on IPAFFS and inspection at a border control post, where fees apply.
• United States: the importer needs an APHIS import permit (form PPQ 587, free, applied for online; allow 30 to 60 days). Plants arrive bare-root, without soil, and enter through a port with a USDA plant inspection station.
• United Arab Emirates and the Gulf: the importer usually needs an import permit from the national ministry before the plants are shipped (in the UAE, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment).
• Japan, Canada and other markets: a phytosanitary certificate is required, and some plants also need an import permit or inspection on arrival. We confirm before quoting.
• Australia and New Zealand: very strict. Most live plants need an import permit and post-entry quarantine, so we quote these case by case.

Packing and transit

Plants are washed free of soil, wrapped to hold moisture and packed in ventilated cartons, then sent by air cargo through a freight forwarder (express couriers restrict live plants). Transit from Colombo is usually 3 to 7 days. We recommend a small pilot lot before a large order so you can check survival in your own conditions.

How to get a price: tell us the plant, quantity, size and destination airport. We quote per plant or per lot, FOB Colombo, CFR or CIF by air, with lead time, and can start with a small pilot lot so you can check how the plants arrive.