Leaders of the Plant Protection Department said that the amount of pepper imported from China is very small, which does not affect the market and prices of domestic pepper.
Facing the information that domestic pepper prices decreased due to imported Chinese pepper, on the morning of Feb 2, Mr. Huynh Tan Dat, Deputy Director of the Plant Protection Department (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) said that this information is unfounded.
According to Mr. Dat, as soon as he heard the information on January 31, the Plant Protection Department asked to check the border gates.
Specifically, from the beginning of 2023 until now, Vietnam has not imported any pepper shipments from China yet.
It is forecast that the world pepper market will be gloomy in the first quarter of 2023.
In 2022, there were two domestic enterprises that imported pepper from China, with a total volume of 504 tonnes to process spice products for exports, not to consume in the domestic market. The number of pepper imports from China in 2022 accounted for a small proportion compared to more than 200,000 tonnes of Vietnamese pepper exported to the Chinese market. It is not enough to impact the market and pepper prices in Vietnam.
Domestic pepper prices on Feb 1 were ranging from 55,500 – 58,000 VND/kg in key provinces.
In particular, the lowest price as recorded was 55,500 VND/kg in Gia Lai.
Three provinces including Dong Nai, Dak Lak, and Dak Nong continued to buy pepper at the price of 56,500 VND/kg.
In Binh Phuoc and Ba Ria – Vung Tau, the price was 57,500 VND/kg and 58,000 VND/kg respectively.
Previously, the agricultural, forestry, and fishery market news of the Import-Export Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade) released on January 20, said that the domestic pepper market was quiet before entering the long Lunar New Year holiday.
In the first 18 days of Jan 2023, the price of black pepper in the domestic market dropped sharply compared to the end of 2022.
According to the information from the Vietnam Pepper Association, the Import-Export Department said that demand for pepper in China is increasing slowly although the Lunar New Year is approaching.
Besides, some Chinese traders sell pepper back to Vietnam when our country is in the harvest season.
On January 18, the price of black pepper decreased by 1,000 – 1,500 VND/kg (equivalent to a decrease of 1.7 – 2.6%) compared to December 30, 2022, to the lowest level of 56,000 VND/kg in Gia Lai – the highest level of 59,000 VND/kg in Ba Ria – Vung Tau.
The price of white pepper is at 93,000 VND/kg, down by 1,000 VND/kg compared to the end of 2022 and much lower than 117,000 VND/kg in the same period in 2022.
“It is forecast that the world pepper market will be gloomy in the first quarter of 2023 due to abundant supply. India and Vietnam have entered the harvest season. In Vietnam, after the Lunar New Year, farmers will start the main harvest season which lasts until the end of April.
It is expected that Vietnam’s pepper output in 2023 will increase by about 5% compared to 2022, reaching 180,000 – 185,000 tonnes” – said the agricultural, forestry, and fishery news.
According to the General Department of Customs (Ministry of Finance), in 2022, Vietnam’s pepper export was worth 970 million USD with an average price of 4,244 USD/tonne, up 18.1% in price compared to 2021.
The United States is the largest market for pepper, followed by China, the UAE, India, Germany, and the Netherlands./.