The association said in 2022, the product was at a disadvantage due to inflation and economic recession in many markets, and China's "Zero COVID" policy, hence a reduction in export volume. 

Vietnam shipped about 230,000 tonnes of peppercorns overseas in 2022 for more than 970 million USD, down 13% in quantity but up 2% in value annually. The export turnover of all spices is forecast to hit 1.5 billion USD.

In addition to exports, Vietnamese enterprises also imported pepper from other countries such as Brazil and Indonesia for processing, then re-export for higher value.

Vietnam has an advantage over other pepper production countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka and Cambodia thanks to the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement. Under the trade pact, the EU's import tax on Vietnamese ground pepper has been reduced from 4% to 0%.

The Vietnamese industry is also highly appreciated for its processing capacity, as the proportion of processed goods currently accounts for about 30% of its total export turnover./.

VNA