The Ministry of Industry and Trade has urged firms to control the quality of pepper exported to India and develop solutions to cope with policies affecting the export of pepper from Vietnam.
The customs of Nepal has issued a "No Objection Certificate" (NOC) allowing Vietnamese exporters' peppercorn containers that have been stuck in the country for several months to return home, according to the Asia-Africa Market Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT).
Vietnam exported over 166,800 tonnes of peppercorn worth 356 million USD in the first half of 2020, down 5.7 percent in volume and 21.1 percent in value compared to the same period last year, according to the General Department of Customs.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) is working with Nepalese authorities to bring home 58 containers of peppercorn stuck in the country after it recently banned imports of the commodity.
Vietnam’s pepper sector is facing a range of difficulties due to the oversupply and the fierce competition in the global market, resulting in low prices, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).
With supply remaining higher than demand in the global market, pepper prices are unlikely to recover this year, according to the Vietnam Pepper Association.
Vietnamese farmers and businesses are worrying as pepper export revenue is expected to drop to under 1 billion USD in 2018 for the first time after four years despite strong increases in shipments.
The pepper industry plans to reduce the area under the spice and focus on improving quality to ensure long-term growth, according to the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development.
Vietnam will work to reform its peppercorn sector towards high quality production and food safety, instead of expanding cultivation areas, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) Nguyen Xuan Cuong has said.
Vietnam’s output and export of pepper increased sharply last year, but their prices and thus turnover from exports fell, according to the industry association.
When international market pressures challenged Vietnamese farmers to adopt good agricultural practices and produce organic pepper, many responded positively.
Major agricultural products enjoyed a rise in export value in the first half of this year despite a fall in volume, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.
Over the last ten days, pepper prices have fallen from an already low 82,000 VND (3.65 USD) to 72,000 VND per kilogramme, but pepper farmers in the Central Highlands continue to hold out for higher prices.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has added pepper to the list of commodities traded on the Vietnam Commodity Exchange (VNX), according to the ministry’s Decision 1071/QĐ-BCT issued last week.
2017 is forecast to be a difficult year for Vietnam’s pepper, which has seen falling prices since the end of 2016, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).