Kratom trees grow throughout Southeast Asia — principally Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia — where the plant has been part of traditional life for generations. The overwhelming majority of kratom consumed in the United States, roughly 95% by published estimates, is grown, harvested, and milled in Indonesia, where cultivation supports a substantial agricultural economy, particularly in West Kalimantan on the island of Borneo.
~95%
of U.S. kratom supply is grown and exported from Indonesia.
Published estimate reviewed in Henningfield et al., Frontiers in Pharmacology (2024)
The trees flourish in hot, humid climates with rich soil, often along river systems. Mature leaves are hand-picked, dried, and ground — a process closer to tea production than to drug manufacturing. That supply chain is also where quality begins: leaf handled under clean, documented conditions produces a safe raw material, while poor drying and storage practices can introduce contamination. This is precisely the gap the AKA's Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Standards Program and the Kratom Consumer Protection Act are designed to close on the U.S. side of the supply chain.
A shifting global picture
Thailand removed kratom from its narcotics schedule in 2021 and is developing its own export capacity, and researchers at the University of Florida are studying kratom's potential as a domestic U.S. agricultural crop, with small-scale cultivation already reported in Florida and Hawaii.
Sources
- Henningfield JE, et al. Frontiers in Pharmacology 15 (2024), §6 — supply, Thailand rescheduling, University of Florida agricultural research. DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1403140.