By the end of September 2023, Vietnam exported 204,385 tons of pepper of all kinds, of which black pepper reached 183,475 tons, and white pepper reached 20,910 tons. Total export turnover was 678.1 million USD, of which black pepper reached 578.2 million USD, and white pepper reached 99.9 million USD.
Among Vietnam’s spices, pepper is very famous in the world market and accounts for a high proportion of export turnover. Vietnam is currently the world’s largest pepper exporter with 40% of production and exports to 110 countries.
According to the Vietnam Pepper Association, from January 1 to September 30, 2023, Vietnam exported 204,385 tons of pepper of all kinds. In particular, black pepper reached 183,475 tons and white pepper reached 20,910 tons. Total export turnover was 678.1 million USD, black pepper reached 578.2 million USD, and white pepper reached 99.9 million USD.
Vietnam accounts for 40% of production and 60% of the global pepper market share.
Compared to the same period in 2022, exports increased by 15.3%, equivalent to 27,164 tons, but export turnover decreased by 13.4%, equivalent to 104.5 million USD. The average export price of black pepper in 9 months of 2023 was 3,539 USD/ton, and white pepper was 5,068 USD/ton. It was down 15.3% for black pepper and 14.2% for white pepper compared to the same period in 2022.
Regarding the market, Asia was the main export market of Vietnam’s pepper in 9 months, accounting for 55.9%, reaching 114,343 tons, up 39.9% over the same period last year. Specifically, China reached 55,985 tons, accounting for 27.4% of the market share and up 373.6% over the same period last year. Behind is the UAE market 9,327 tons, down 30.1%; India 9,238 tons, down 18.5%; Philippines 6,020 tons, up 24.7%.
Meanwhile, exports to Europe accounted for 18.6%, and over the same period, exports to this region decreased by 7.1%. Specifically, exports to Germany decreased by 14.3% to 6,828 tons; the Netherlands decreased by 9% to 5,958 tons; and Russia decreased by 4% to 4,064 tons. Notably, exports to Turkey increased by 70.8% to 3,495 tons and France increased by 31.4% to 2,849 tons. Exports to Africa increased by 9.3%, of which Egypt increased by 43.8% to 3,354 tons; Senegal increased by 32.4% to 1,787 tons, and South Africa reached 1,761 tons, up 2%.
MBA. Phan Thi Xuan Hue – Faculty of Management at Tra Vinh University said that Vietnam’s pepper has gradually marked its name on the world map. Vietnam is a country accounting for 40% of production and 60% of the global pepper market share, and always holding the No. 1 position in the world in terms of production and export. However, this industry is facing some challenges such as losing market share due to Brazilian and Indonesian markets offering more competitive prices; geopolitical instability, especially Russia-Ukraine tensions is negatively affecting pepper consumption; pepper production in Vietnam is fragmented and lacks links between producers, scientists, and businesses.
Therefore, MBA. Phan Thi Xuan Hue said that for Vietnam’s pepper products to affirm their position in the world market sustainably, the industry needs to comply with international standards, especially in terms of chemical residues, and production criteria towards sustainable development, not following volume but improving the quality of post-harvest products. At the same time, growers need to actively participate in cooperatives to create a link with processing enterprises and exporters.
Regarding the State and trade promotion agencies, it is necessary to reorient the strategy to build image and strengthen presence in key markets; have specific and effective strategies to develop new products in high-end markets, and reduce risks when depending on a few markets. In addition, it is important to build a historical database on pepper prices, output, and export turnover in the past years, thereby having a basis for forecasting consumption and production in the following years./.