The price on Sunday was ranging between VND133,000 and VND140,000 ($6.33-6.67) per kilogram.— Photo xaluan

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — The country's pepper output this year would reach 150,000 tonnes, up 30,000 tonnes over last year.

Chairman of the Viet Nam Pepper Association (VPA) Do Ha Nam said the association has forecast a rise in pepper output this year, while the yield in the previous years were lower.

Nam said Viet Nam enjoyed an increase in the selling prices in the first three months of the year, when it was VND130,000 (US$6.19) per kilogram, VND10,000 ($0.48) per kilogram higher year on year. The selling price rose up to even VND140,000 ($6.67) per kilogram during peak times.

The price on Sunday was ranging between VND133,000 and VND140,000 ($6.33-6.67) per kilogram.

He said the output in the pepper-growing countries, including Brazil and Indonesia, had reduced because of severe drought and bad weather, while Viet Nam enjoyed favourable weather conditions.

VPA's report showed that the pepper yield in the central Highlands province of Dak Nong posted a 10 per cent increase year on year. Some pepper orchards even had a year-on-year increase between 30 and 40 per cent in yield. The households in the Dak Lak and Gia Lai provinces also saw a year-on-year increase between 20 and 30 per cent in yield.

The association forecast that the selling prices of pepper would be higher in the coming time as Viet Nam accounted for 30 per cent of the annual world pepper output and half of the exports in the market.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Viet Nam shipped 49,000 tonnes of pepper in the first quarter of the year, earning $332 million, and posting 29 per cent and 32 per cent increase in terms of quantity and value.

The average price of the pepper exports was $6,828 per tonne in the first two months of the year, an increase of 3 per cent year over year.

The country has exported 30 per cent of its pepper output so far this year.

Last year, Viet Nam earned $901 million from exporting 133,000 tonnes of pepper, posting a 14 per cent year-on-year increase.

VPA predicted that pepper could join the list of agricultural exports such as rice, coffee and cashew, which would earn a turnover of more than $1 billion this year.

The US, Singapore and India are Viet Nam's largest pepper export markets, with the spice accounting for 44 per cent of the country's total exports. — VNS