The volume of Vietnam’s pepper exports to important markets has decreased this year, but the country has retained its top spot in the global rankings, heard a conference held in Ho Chi Minh City on December 21.
The Vietnam Pepper Association (VPA) recently coordinated with the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Vietnamese Embassy in France to hold a business matching event in Paris to boost pepper trading.
After years of fluctuations, in 2021, the pepper industry enjoyed a good growth to regain its position as one of the major export products with revenue from 1 billion USD.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) expects to exceed its annual export target for agricultural, forest and fishery products, thanks to the restoration of production and business after the COVID-19 outbreak.
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).
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.
The International Pepper Conference 2019 opened in Vung Tau city, the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, on November 12, drawing 400 delegates from Vietnam and 25 other member countries of the International Pepper Community.
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).
The recent signing of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), which is expected to take effect from early 2020, has opened the door wider for Vietnamese farm produce to make inroads into the more than 500-million people strong market.
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 Department of Farm Produce Processing and Market Development (DFPPM) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has forecast that pepper prices will struggle to recover in July and the rest of the year.
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.
The pepper industry plans to reduce the area under the spice and focus instead on improving quality to ensure long-term growth, a seminar heard in Ho Chi Minh City on January 25.
Chairman of the Vietnam Pepper Association (VPA) Do Ha Nam has advised pepper farmers to make investment in technology and clean production as the competition with foreign rivals will be fiercer.