The southern province of Dong Nai has shipped nearly 900 tonnes of peppercorn abroad so far this year, valued over 11 million USD and representing a 54 percent rise in volume and 150 percent rise in value compared to the same period last year, according to the provincial Department of Statistics.

In the period, Dong Nai’s peppercorn received a record high price of over 12,200 USD per tonne, reported the department, adding that main consumers include India , the US and some Latin American countries.

This year, local farmers also enjoyed a yielding pepper crop average of 5-6 tonnes per hectare with excellent quality, a 3 tonne-per-hectare surge compared to the 2014 equivalent crop.

Farmers across the province are currently cultivating 7,000 hectares of pepper.

Peppercorn prices have remained high over the past four years. With a price of about 200,000 VND (9.4 USD) per kilo, farmers can enjoy a profit of up to 700 million VND (32,900 USD) per hectare, said the department.

Vietnamese peppercorn is currently sold in over 90 countries and territories, accounting for about 30 percent of the global peppercorn production and 5 percent of the global peppercorn exports.-VNA