Do you know Vietnam is the leading in pepper cultivation and production over the world since 2001?
The success cultivation model of pepper in Vietnam has been appreciated by many countries in the world. This great achievement has made the country to be more confident to develop the cultivation of other spices.
How is the current exportation of Vietnamese spices? What should we do to support the growth of this potential export earner for Vietnam?
First, let’s learn about the success story of pepper
In terms of spices production, people only remembered India and Indonesia as the world’s leading exporters. Nowadays, Vietnam has overtaken the first position of India to become the number one pepper exporter.
Vietnam’s peppers have now reached more than 97 countries and territories in Asia, Europe, America, and Africa. European countries are the main importer of Vietnamese pepper, which accounts for 40% of the output.
The pepper tree are indigenous to India. It was introduced to Vietnam by French people in the 17th century. Phu Quoc Island and Ha Tien in Kien Giang province paved the way in cultivating pepper by the end of the 19th century.
Until the 20th century, the pepper area expand to other areas in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, which are the biggest basalt soil area in country.
At present, Vietnam’s pepper grows mainly in 6 provinces across the country: Binh Phuoc with 12,148ha, Dak Nong with 11,154ha, Dak Lak with 12,082ha, Ba Ria-Vung Tau with 9,074ha, Dong Nai with 9,010ha and Gia Lai with 11,245ha.
In terms of productivity, Vietnam now can produce 140,000 tonnes. The total export volume now reaches 156,396 tonnes, which makes revenue of 1,204.98 billion dollars.
These impressive numbers are the results of the application of monocrop cultivation model. This model has been applied with very high-density planting on wooden poles, concrete pillars or brick pillars. Thanks to the basalt soil conditions in the Central Highlands together with continuous irrigation and heavy application of fertilizers, Vietnam has successfully conquered the severely selective markets, such as Japan, the Netherlands, the US, Germany, and France.
While Dak Lak province is the biggest growing area of pepper, Phu Quoc Island is famous for its pungency and strong aroma especially the red peppers.
Furthermore, peppers in Phu Quoc are cultivated without using chemical fertilizers but organic fertilizers and dry peppers under the sunlight instead of utilizing a heating system as in other regions.
But,
What else do we have as Vietnamese spices to compete with other competitors such as India, Sri Lanka, etc.?
Cinnamon and Star Anise
According to the World Spice Organization, Vietnam ranks number two exporter of cinnamon and number three exporter of star anise. These spices are mainly grown in the Northern part of the country such as Yen Bai, and Quang Nam provinces. The cultivation of these spices provides sustainable earnings for ethnic minority people.
Taking the advantages of natural resources, Vietnam has strong capabilities to compete with India because our products are as good as the ones of the competitor.
Garlic
Garlic is another strong spice of Vietnam. The most famous one is “Loneliness Garlic” grown in Ly Son Island. It have other name “Kingdom of Garlic” in Vietnam as this island produces a kind of garlic that has distinctive delicious tastes that no other kinds can be compared with.
In 2009, the National Office of Intellectual Property recognized the trademark for Ly Son Garlics. This opened a new page for these agricultural products to be more popular in the domestic market as well as penetrate foreign markets.
Ginger
Ginger is one of the most important ingredients of many Vietnamese dishes because of its health benefits. Gingers are mainly grown from the North (Lang Son province) to the South (Ca Mau province) of the country.
Vietnamese ginger is exported to neighboring markets, including Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Bangladesh and India. With technical support from Japan, we are applying many advanced preservation methods and nutrient retention to large-scale farming to reach more demanding markets.
Chili
Vietnamese chili has high productivity but the price does not reflect the quality of the product. Due to the investment in high-tech farming equipment and the advanced growing technique from Israel., the “Bird’s Eye Chili”, has been licensed to export to 27 countries in Europe. This is a “precious” opportunity for us to build the trust of international customers and stable brand.
Eco-Fruits works closely with local farmers across Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia to ensure product quality. We’re capable of providing high -quality products at a reasonable price to many markets around the globe.
Contact us for quotations and collaborating opportunities.
