Dak Nong (VNA) - Wheninternational market pressures challenged Vietnamese farmers to adopt goodagricultural practices and produce organic pepper, many responded positively.

Explaining the current situation, Nguyen Dang Nghia, director of the southerncentre for soil, fertilizer and environment research, said: “Pepper that usesexceeding amounts of crop protection agents will be returned (by buyers).

“To maintain our share of 50 percent inthe world market, we have to produce organic pepper. Farmers need to reduce alltypes of chemicals used to increase pepper vines’ resistance and preventpests.”

Dang Tan Huynh of Nhan Co commune, Dak R’Lap district in Dak Nong province, haspractised organic farming for more than ten years. He has also joined anotherUSDA-standard organic pepper chain owned by a FDI company.

In September, 2016, Huynh and ten other members established the Dong ThuanOrganic Pepper Co-operative. They pooled 50ha of land to form a raw materialarea in Nhan Co commune, the second biggest pepper cultivation area in Dak Nongprovince.

At the Dong Thuan Cooperative, pepper is planted and harvested using biologicalmethods without any chemical fertilizer or GMO substances. Besides, farmersfollow strictly the direction of the management committee, the guidance of thetechnical department and the monitoring of the control board.

[Pepper sector advised to boost clean production]

Pepper is a produce that has high food safety requirements. Therefore, Dong Thuan’sproducts are consumed at prices 10 to 30 percent higher than for normally grownpepper, even during deflation periods, Huynh said.

Also practising clean farming methods since its establishment in 2014 is the LamSan Agricultural Co-operative in Cam My district, Dong Nai province.

Producing “clean” pepper on a 1,100ha area, this co-operative is one of fewVietnamese organisations exporting pepper to the EU market.

“Because of special characteristics of the spice industry, prices can only risewhen farmers produce pepper meeting VietGAP standards”, said Nguyen Ngoc Luan,Director of the Lam San Agricultural Cooperative.

Luan, who has experience working in Germany, said he realised that the EU is adifficult market with a high demand for pepper. Therefore, he decided tocollaborate with more than 1000 families to form an enterprise producingorganic pepper.

Luan said producing clean pepper was simple since the procedures and farmingmethods have been researched and introduced in a clear way. Being part of the LamSan Co-operative has helped farmers maintain their market share and earn stableprofits against the background of falling pepper prices. The co-operative plansto export pepper to Japan in the near future.

Market demand is prompting more and more pepper farmers to apply good agriculturalpractices, local reports said.

The Vietnam Pepper Association (VPA) has said that in 2017, pepper exports willface many difficulties and challenges, with main markets like the USA and EUtightening their quality controls.

Nguyen Mai Oanh, Vice Chairwoman and General Secretary of the VPA, said thatseveral farmers had researched and consulted experts on their own to learnabout proper pepper cultivation. They also formed groups to share experiencesin practising organic farming, she said.

Besides, they were approaching enterprises and introducing their high-qualitypepper. "This is a positive sign for Vietnam’s pepper industry," Oanhsaid.

Farmer Nong Van Le of Thuan Ha commune, Dak Song district, Dak Nong province saidhis family planted more pepper this year. "The output is 20 tonnes, doublethat of last year. Besides the favourable weather conditions, we use biologicalsubstances to improve soil quality, prevent fungal growth and save 50 percentof NPK (fertiliser).

“Some trading enterprises have approached our family and offered 10 percenthigher prices than offered to other families”, he said. 
A report on the VPA website quotes Yap Chin Ann of the Malaysia PepperAssociation as saying that the attitude of farmers is key to sustainableagricultural practices.

Farmers should be advised to use organic fertilizers and modern processingtechnologies to increase the quantity and quality of their produce andproducts, he said.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has asked VPA and related agenciesto connect processing enterprises and farmers to accelerate sustainableproduction of organic pepper.

At the same time, VPA members are planning to establish an agency to issuequality certification and stamps of origin for organic pepper. They say it willhelp Viet Nam’s pepper exports gain higher value and assist international marketsto control pepper quality.-VNA