HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam exported 985.71 tonnes of pepper to Taiwan in 2024, generating US$6.1 million and accounting for 33 per cent of Taiwan’s total pepper imports, according to the Taiwan International Trade Administration (TITA).

This made Việt Nam the second-largest supplier of pepper to Taiwan last year.

In total, Taiwan imported over 2,862 tonnes of whole and ground pepper from 17 global suppliers in 2024, with an import value of $18.4 million. While import volume dropped by 11.3 per cent year-on-year, the total import value rose by 18.88 per cent compared to 2023.

Việt Nam’s pepper exports to Taiwan declined by 23.7 per cent in volume but increased by 27.3 per cent in value compared to 2023. The country accounted for 34.4 per cent of Taiwan’s total pepper import volume and 33.1 per cent of its import value.

According to the TITA, Indonesia was Taiwan’s largest pepper supplier in 2024, followed by Malaysia (9.38 per cent market share in volume), China (3.6 per cent), and Cambodia (1.06 per cent).

The Việt Nam Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei noted that Taiwan has recently enforced 100 per cent inspections of imported pepper after detecting certain shipments exceeding the maximum residue limit (MRL) for Sudan dye. Additionally, Taiwan has temporarily suspended import clearance applications from a Vietnamese company that exported 35 spice and seasoning products due to contamination concerns.

To strengthen oversight of imported food products, the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) is currently in discussions with Vietnamese authorities about sending an inspection team to Việt Nam to conduct on-site evaluations of black pepper exporters this year.

According to the Việt Nam Pepper and Spice Association (VPSA), Việt Nam exported a total of 250,600 tonnes of pepper in 2024, including 220,269 tonnes of black pepper and 30,331 tonnes of white pepper. The total export value reached $1.3 billion, with black pepper contributing $1.1 billion and white pepper $200 million. — VNS