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Vietnam to earn US$280 million from pepper exports by 2020
The pepper industry must improve its cultivation methods and processing technology to maintain its position as the world’s top exporter, the Vietnam Pepper Association has said.
Vietnam has earned more than US$100 million a year from pepper exports in recent years, exporting its products mainly to Europe, the US and the Middle East.
Several pepper processing plants in the Central Highlands have installed modern processing technology including dehydration and sterilization systems to ensure food safety and sanitation standards.
According to the Southern Agricultural Scientific and Technical Institute, the country’s pepper area has expanded from 3,900 ha to 52,000ha in the last two decades.
Despite expansion, scientists said growers need to gradually replace low-yielding hybrids with new, high-yield ones and apply advanced methods in hybridization, planting, processing, and post-harvest preservation to improve crop productivity and quality.
Major pepper growing areas are in Binh Phuoc, Dak Lak, Dong Nai and Phu Quoc.
The industry has set up crop specialization areas covering 14,200ha in Binh Phuoc Province, 8,400ha in Dak Lak Province and 8,100ha in Ba Ria Vung Tau Province.
The Vietnam Pepper Association has also urged local pepper farmers to maintain quality and comply with the cultivation planning by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The ministry plans to maintain the pepper average at 50,000ha with an output of 100,000 tonnes a year.
Over the past years, scientists have conducted several projects to improve farming methods, increase the quality of the crop and raise the competitiveness of pepper products on the global market.
Scientists said farmers need to comply with the ministry’s cultivation and processing standards to obtain an average output of 120,000 tonnes and an average export revenue of US$130 million by 2010.
The ministry’s plan also aims to earn US$280 million in pepper export value in 2020.
VNN
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