Statistics from the Vietnam Pepper Association (VPA) show that Vietnam imported 2,929 tons of pepper in February 2025, with a turnover of 15.9 million USD. This is a significant increase of 61% compared to January. Black pepper imports reached 1,716 tons, and white pepper imports reached 1,213 tons. Indonesia and Brazil were the top two pepper suppliers.
In the first two months of the year, Vietnam imported 4,746 tons of pepper of all types, including 2,469 tons of black pepper and 2,277 tons of white pepper, with a total import value of 26.8 million USD. Compared to the same period in 2024, the import volume increased by 11.4%, and the import value increased by 74.1%. Indonesia is the largest supplier of pepper to Vietnam, with a market share of 69.9%. Brazil ranks second with a market share of 23.1%.
Vietnam remains the leading country in pepper exports.
In fact, the Vietnamese pepper industry accounts for 40% of the world’s production and 60% of the market share. However, Vietnam has to import from other producers to maintain its leading position.
According to the International Pepper Community (IPC), the world has recorded a pepper production decrease of about 4% in 2024 compared to 2023, equivalent to a reduction of 22,000 tons down to 558,000 tons. This decline mainly comes from Brazil and Vietnam.
In the past year, Brazil had the highest decline in pepper production, with a decrease of about 29%, equivalent to 28,000 tons, from 98,000 tons in 2023 to 70,000 tons. The sharp decline in pepper production in Brazil was due to the impact of climate change, particularly the droughts causing a lack of irrigation water.
Vietnam’s pepper production decreased from 195,000 tons in 2023 to 180,000 tons in 2024. It is expected that the area of pepper cultivation may decrease to around 110,000 hectares in the coming time. The main reasons for the decrease are the impact of weather, pests, and the sharp increase in prices of some other agricultural products, such as durian and coffee, in recent times.
According to the Vietnam Pepper and Spice Association (VPSA), global pepper production in 2025 is predicted to continue declining compared to 2024, marking the fourth consecutive year of decline since 2022.
Since the beginning of 2025, the export price of pepper has remained high, increasing by more than 30% compared to mid-2024. Especially, the export price of white pepper has increased by 16% compared to the end of December 2024 and by 38% compared to mid-2024.
Global pepper prices in 2025 are expected to remain high due to a supply decrease. Meanwhile, demand from major markets such as the US and EU is stable. The demand for pepper in the food and spice processing industry remains the main driving force of the market. In the next few years, global pepper production will not be enough to meet consumer demand. This will cause the price of “black gold” to keep rising.