Pepper shipments from Vietnam, the world’s leading black pepper producer, are expected to reach around 125,000-130,000 tons this year, generating a total earning of US$180 million, according to the Vietnam Pepper Association (VPA).
The figures will thus represent on-year rises of 13-18 per cent in volume and 18.4 per cent in value.
Vietnamese pepper products are currently being sold to as many as 73 countries and territories worldwide with 40 per cent of which shipped to the EU, 33 per cent to the US, 31 per cent to Asian countries, and 25 per cent to North America.
Other importers of Vietnamese pepper include Japan, Russia and the Middle East.
Vietnam is now supplying more than 50 per cent of total pepper shipments in the global market.
Customers have said that Vietnamese pepper quality has been much improved recently. The proportion of high quality pepper has also increased compared to that in previous years.
According to the association, soaring global demand coupled with scare domestic supply, resulted from lean pepper harvest, are major reasons backing pepper prices to rise in the recent weeks.
Export prices of Vietnamese 500g/l black pepper have reached US$1,950 per ton, with 550g/l pepper rising to US$2,020-2,050 per ton early September.
Global prices for pepper are likely to stand at high level because of pepper shortfall, caused by downsized pepper cultivation areas in the world’s major pepper growers such as Indonesia, India, and Brazil.
In the first eight months of this year, Vietnam reportedly fetched $149 million from shipping 102,000 tons of pepper abroad, up 43.1 per cent and 34.2 per cent, respectively, against the same period last year.
Vietnam Economic Times
Vietnamese
