Despite the remarkable growth recorded in the peppercorn sector in thelast three years, local farmers are enduring damage fuelled byunsustainable development.
Rapid plantation expansion, intensive farming and increasingly destructive insects lie at the root of the issue.
Vietnam peppercorn is sold to over 90 countries and territories,accounting for 30 percent and 50 percent of the total global productionand exports respectively. Currently, the Vietnamese peppercorn sectorproduces 2.16 tonnes of dried berries per hectare and it is listed asone of the world’s highest yields. However, the country has noofficial document guiding the farming process.
Do Ha Nam, Chairman of the Vietnam Pepper Association, said in a recentconference that high prices have persuaded farmers to expand cultivationwithout any planning. They end up planting the crop on unsuitable landand overusing fertilisers, causing the plants to degenerate quickly andfall victim to diseases, he added.
It is theright time for the Vietnamese pepper sector to focus on improvingprocessing technology to increase the quality of pepper and meet globalfood safety standards, Nam declared.
Accordingto Dr Le Ngoc Bau, head of the Central Highlands Agriculture andForestry Science Institute, the organisation of the current pepperproduction model requires a shakeup in a bid to group scatteredsmall-scale family-run farms.
Working togetherwill make it easier for those households to access bank loans,technological advances and related service providers, he explained.-VNA
Rapid plantation expansion, intensive farming and increasingly destructive insects lie at the root of the issue.
Vietnam peppercorn is sold to over 90 countries and territories,accounting for 30 percent and 50 percent of the total global productionand exports respectively. Currently, the Vietnamese peppercorn sectorproduces 2.16 tonnes of dried berries per hectare and it is listed asone of the world’s highest yields. However, the country has noofficial document guiding the farming process.
Do Ha Nam, Chairman of the Vietnam Pepper Association, said in a recentconference that high prices have persuaded farmers to expand cultivationwithout any planning. They end up planting the crop on unsuitable landand overusing fertilisers, causing the plants to degenerate quickly andfall victim to diseases, he added.
It is theright time for the Vietnamese pepper sector to focus on improvingprocessing technology to increase the quality of pepper and meet globalfood safety standards, Nam declared.
Accordingto Dr Le Ngoc Bau, head of the Central Highlands Agriculture andForestry Science Institute, the organisation of the current pepperproduction model requires a shakeup in a bid to group scatteredsmall-scale family-run farms.
Working togetherwill make it easier for those households to access bank loans,technological advances and related service providers, he explained.-VNA
