Socialist Republic of Vietnam

HA NOI — Viet Nam remains the world’s top pepper exporter, shipping 60,026 tonnes so far this year, a 27 per cent increase over the same period last year, reported the Viet Nam Pepper Association (VPA).

The VPA attributed the success to increased investment in new processing equipment, which has secured Viet Nam’s reputation for black pepper quality and quantity in the global market.

The VPA said it expects 28 per cent of this year’s yield to meet the American Spice Trade Association’s quality standards. The country’s production of high-quality pepper has rapidly increased from 5 per cent in 2002 to 15 per cent last year, the VPA said.

In addition to cultivating white pepper, which has a higher value, the country’s pepper industry also plans to expand production of processed pepper. The Government has agreed to partly fund the industry’s trade promotion programmes. It also helped the industry conduct fact-finding trips in Dubai and the European Union.

The Government will allow the VPA to become a full member of the International Pepper Community at its 32nd annual meeting scheduled in Indonesia on September 27-30.

To further increase Viet Nam’s pepper image in the global market, the VPA has decided to focus on devising trademarks for the country’s pepper, choosing Phu Quoc and Chu Se pepper as the country’s first test cases.

Chu Se District, located in the central highland province of Gia Lai, dedicates more than 2,000ha to pepper cultivation, which churns out more than 7,000 tonnes of pepper yearly. Chu Se’s pepper has been exported to the EU, China and India. However, Nguyen Dung, chairman of the district People’s Committee, said the district must use the trademarks of other countries because it does not have its own.

The district expects to export under its own trademark as soon as the Phu Nhuan Service Holding Company finalises the production line, with an annual 5,000-tonne capacity.

In the first half of the year, Viet Nam netted nearly US$71.3 million from pepper exports, and it expects to earn more, as the world’s pepper prices are edging up, the VPA reported. — VNS