Vietnam pepper industry faces oversupply and quality problems

Vietnam is a big pepper exporter, but oversupply has been a problem for the pepper industry over the last two years,Meanwhile, importing countries are setting higher quality requirements thus raising future about the future of the industry.

US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is considering raising the permitted MRLs (maximum residue level) of some active elements, including Arcrimnathril, Tricyclazole and Metalaxyl, on pepper imports from Vietnam.

A report from ESA (European Spice Association) found that only 17 percent of 799 black pepper samples imported into the EU had an MRL below 0.05 ppm.

If the EC applies the new MRL, more than 80 percent of Vietnam’s pepper exports to the EU will meet difficulty.

Meanwhile, the US, India and UAE are the three biggest export markets for Vietnam’s pepper. If Vietnam cannot control the quality of exports, it may lose its biggest markets.

Agricultural experts said pepper growers need to change their cultivation practices and apply high tech farming to produce safe, quality products for sustainable development.

Read more: VietnamNetNews