India to re-consider Vietnamese black pepper import

The office of the Ministry of Industry and Trade yesterday announced India will re-consider imports of Vietnamese black pepper following accusation that the product fails to meet minimum piperine content.

India will re-consider Vietnamese pepper imports as pepper fails piperine content (Photo: SGGP)

According to a document from Vietnam's trade mission in India to the Ministry, Indian pepper association complained light black pepper imported from Vietnam failed to meet the 6 percent piperine content standard.

An article in The Hindu Business Line wrote pepper farmers in India urged the government to find out whether the Vietnam pepper is meeting the 6 percent piperine content standard.

Therefore, the  Spices Board under the Indian Ministry of Industry and Trade will test the piperine content to check whether Vietnamese pepper meet the content imposed by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade.

Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade said that the step will badly affect Vietnamese pepper’s prestige causing detriment to pepper exporters in particular.

Therefore, the Ministry will work with the Vietnam's trade mission in India to clarify the information and request India not to impose detrimental policies on the import-export of pepper between the two countries.

To reduce risks in pepper export to India, the Ministry proposed associations to inform exporters to have solutions in case that India changed their policies.