New project supports exports of quality black pepper to the EU

HÀ NỘI — The Plant Protection Department (PPD) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam Pepper Association (VPA) and the IDH Stitching Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH) on Thursday introduced a programme supporting exports of quality black pepper from Việt Nam to the EU.

Farmers of Vĩnh Linh District, Quảng Trị Provinces, harvest pepper. — VNA/VNS Photo Hồ Cầu

The “Scaling sustainable production and trade of Vietnamese pepper” project, co-financed by the European Union (EU) and IDH, is under the framework of the ARISE Plus initiative aimed at supporting the Vietnamese Government to benefit from bilateral trade agreements and promote the export of high-quality products and services from Việt Nam to the EU.

Việt Nam is the world’s largest producer and exporter of black pepper (Piper nigrum) accounting for 60 per cent of the world’s trade and roughly 45 per cent of the pepper imports into the EU.

The EU-Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) which entered into force on August 1, 2020 has already generated significant opportunities for Vietnamese companies in pepper production, processing, and trade. However, certain challenges exist, such as meeting strict quality requirements, especially limiting residues of toxic chemicals.

The project is designed to build a sustainable supply chain connecting smallholder farmers with producer or trader SMEs and EU buyers. Project activities include training, raising farmers’ awareness, companies’ support in training and supervising the application of sustainable farming practices, in parallel with the efforts of responsible agrochemical management of State agencies.

The project will contribute to an increase in the volume of sustainably grown peppercorns and ensure stable incomes for pepper farmers.    

At the workshop, PPD’s deputy director Nguyễn Quý Dương said: “It is high time that the Vietnamese pepper industry shifted from quantity production to quality production and to improve the production system for better quality pepper while helping farmers with a sustainable income.

“EU’s support to this project is of high importance and at the right time, playing a vital role in bridging domestic and European companies to jointly meet common targets for sustainable pepper development."

Matthieu Penot, Attaché for Trade Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Việt Nam, said the EU would support the pepper supply chain and would contribute to sustainable growth in the sector.

“Our objective is to improve the lives of 10,000 pepper smallholder farmers in the Central Highlands and increase the productivity of pepper processors. Việt Nam provides almost half of European pepper for consumption. It is only natural that the EU and its member states invest heavily in the pepper supply chain for a stronger Europe-PPD’s deputy director partnership,” Penot said.