Vietnamese pepper shifts from quantity to quality

Pepper is currently one of the agricultural products maintaining export growth in 2026. According to the Department of Viet Nam Customs, in the first seven months of 2026, Viet Nam exported 169,000 tons of pepper, worth USD 1.1 billion, up 16.7% in volume and 11.1% in value from the same period in 2025.

While maintaining stable exports and its position as the world’s largest pepper exporter, Viet Nam's pepper industry is continuing to strengthen its competitiveness in the global market by improving product quality and food safety, enhancing traceability, and promoting sustainable development.

According to the Viet Nam Pepper and Spice Association (VPSA), among the world’s leading pepper-producing and exporting countries, Brazil has the capacity to increase supply and compete on volume; Malaysia focuses on high-quality pepper and premium brands, while Indonesia maintains a leading position in white pepper. Thus, Viet Nam's strategy must combine scale with differentiation, particularly in cleanliness, stability, technical services, delivery speed, and sustainability profile.

A representative of Nedspice Processing Viet Nam Co., Ltd. said Viet Nam’s pepper and spice industry faces opportunities but also numerous challenges. Opportunities stem from growing international demand for natural, high-quality spices. However, the biggest challenge is meeting importers' stringent standards.

Without timely transformation, Viet Nam's pepper industry risks losing market share to other pepper-producing countries. Therefore, developing raw material areas that meet international standards and establishing close value chain linkages among enterprises, farmers, and cooperatives are key solutions.

To develop the export pepper value chain, VPSA has put forward eight groups of solutions, with export enterprises and cooperatives serving as the two organizational focal points, farmers at the center of quality creation, and management agencies playing a role in establishing standards, data systems, and shared infrastructure.

Of which, the top priority identified by VPSA is to stabilize raw material areas rather than pursue area expansion. Accordingly, each pepper-growing locality needs to develop maps of growing areas based on soil and water conditions, orchard age, disease risks, and the potential for linkages with processing facilities. Do not encourage new planting in areas facing water shortages or where it would disrupt existing plans. Instead, priority should be given to rehabilitating existing plantations, implementing controlled replanting, using varieties with clear origins, and selecting suitable living support trees.

In local development orientations for the pepper industry through 2030, it is essential to focus on sustainable yields and economic efficiency per hectare rather than simply on acreage targets. The target of having 40% of pepper-growing areas meet GAP or equivalent standards and 50% of the area granted growing area codes needs to be translated into annual action plans.

Although pepper prices remain high, pepper-growing localities are now paying greater attention to economic efficiency, product quality, and certified production rather than expanding acreage to increase output.

Mr. Vu Hai Ly, Chairman of the Phu Giao Commune People’s Committee, Ho Chi Minh City, said local authorities have determined that pepper remains a high-value crop if production is properly organized. The focus is on maintaining an appropriate growing area, improving product quality, supporting farmers in adopting standards, and strengthening market linkages.

Mr. Ly emphasized, "For pepper to develop sustainably, production must follow a path based on standards, linkages, and clear market outlets. The locality will continue to support farmers in maintaining the growing area, improving quality, and connecting with markets. Phu Giao needs to capitalize on its existing GlobalGAP-certified growing areas to gradually participate more deeply in the pepper supply chain. This does not mean expanding acreage at all costs, but rather developing the industry in a controlled manner, with quality and sustainability given top priority."

Ms. Hoang Thi Lien, Chairwoman of the Viet Nam Pepper and Spice Association (VPSA), stated that Viet Nam's pepper industry is entering a decisive phase of transformation, shifting from advantages in supply scale and trading capacity toward advantages in quality, food safety, traceability, deep processing, and sustainable development.

Chairwoman of the Viet Nam Pepper and Spice Association Hoang Thi Lien noted that although Viet Nam's pepper industry does not have a large cultivation area, it generates high export value, provides livelihoods for hundreds of thousands of farmer households, and has made Viet Nam a central link in the global spice supply chain.