The southern province of Dong Nai exported over 3,200 tonnes of peppercorn in the first five months of this year, raking in more than 31 million USD, up 18 percent in volume and 50 percent in value.

Pepper farmers in Cam My and Xuan Loc districts and Long Khanh township are embracing Global Gap, an internationally recognised set of farm standards dedicated to Good Agricultural Practice (GAP).

In Cam My alone, over 10ha of pepper have been earmarked for Global Gap farming, with the end products fetching 10,000 – 20,000 VND (0.47- 0.95 USD) per kilo higher than those grown in conventional farming.

Cam My has also been chosen for a large-scale model pepper farm covering 170ha in accordance with the Global GAP standards.

It is also home to over 1,700ha of pepper, or 30 percent of the total pepper area in the province, said Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Pham Minh Dao.

Dong Nai provided all funding for varieties and 30 percent of funding for fertilisers and pesticides within four years since cultivation.

According to the department, Dong Nai boasts over 8,000ha of pepper, mostly in Cam My, Tan Phu, Xuan Loc and Trang Bom districts. Each ha generates more than two tonnes and average income of 100 million VND (4,700 USD) per year.

The province is one of the three largest pepper-growing localities nationwide, annually supplying about 20,000 tonnes to the market.-VNA