The chili cultivation area expansion project in Ninh Thuan Province has been jointly implemented by CJ Group (South Korea) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) since 2014. The project has achieved impressive results in fostering sustainable agriculture and improving the quality of life for local residents.
Key milestones
Launched in 2014, the chili cultivation area expansion project has significantly helped improve livelihoods for residents in Tam Ngan hamlet (Ninh Son district) by increasing income in chili cultivation contracts with local farmers. In 2017, CJ officially inaugurated the Tam Ngan Agricultural Processing Plant to ensure a stable output channel for chili products in the region. Following the severe disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, CJ continued to support local communities with an emergency funding of over VND400 million to repair the facility and assist farmers in resuming cultivation. Since 2023, the project has entered a strong recovery phase, with the return of chili powder products meeting food safety standards to the market, marking a significant step forward in affirming the quality of local agricultural produce.
After the pandemic-caused disruptions, the number of farming households returning to chili cultivation has increased markedly. Additionally, CJ has provided free chili seeds, fertilizers and crop protection products for farmers. KOICA has also sent South Korean volunteers and experts to Tam Ngan to directly support the project. Previously farmers planted only one chili crop a year but the project has now enabled two crops annually, with an estimated chili powder output of 3.6-4 tons.
In 2025, the project originally planned to cultivate 3 ha of chili but due to high farmer interest, the area will be expanded to 5 ha. Notably, the Ninh Thuan chili powder - a product “for the community”- has officially returned to the shelves of supermarket chains such as Bach Hoa Xanh and Co.op Mart, marking a vital step in restoring the value chain from production to consumption. “Seeing the bright red chili peppers ripen in the fields and the chili powder products created through the community’s collective effort, we are more confident than ever in our sustainable development model. CJ hopes to continue strengthening and expanding the project to further improve incomes and livelihoods for local farmers,” a CJ representative in Vietnam said.
Toward reconstruction and sustainable development goals
In the 2024-2026 period, the chili cultivation area expansion project in Ninh Thuan aims to achieve reconstruction and sustainable development goals. Starting in July 2024, CJ and KOICA pledged to support a total of VND4.2 billion for this initiative. This funding will focus on expanding cultivation areas and increasing farmer participation by providing seeds, fertilizers and machinery while enhancing the operational capacity of local cooperatives and the processing factory. Particularly, the project will dispatch South Korean experts to provide technical assistance in cultivation and production, helping improve both the quality and efficiency of the entire local agricultural value chain.
In addition to agricultural development activities, CJ has also actively launched various philanthropic activities in the locality. From February 19 to 21, 2025, a volunteer team of over 40 members, including doctors, pharmacists and volunteers from South Korea, conducted medical check-ups and health consultations for more than 500 residents in Tam Ngan. Moreover, 500 school uniforms and school bags were donated to primary students in Lam Son A, one of the more disadvantaged areas in the region.
Indeed, the chili cultivation expansion project stands not only as an agricultural program but also as a model of collaboration among businesses, authorities and the community to create lasting economic, social and environmental sustainability values.
By My Chau, Vietnam Business Forum
Vietnamese
