Quang Tri’s fragrant and spicy exports

The central province of Quang Tri is intensifying exports of organic dried pepper to the US and European countries. This commodity brings high economic value. Dried pepper has a fragrant, spicy flavour with numerous culinary and everyday applications. The export of dried pepper is commonly referred to as exporting the “fragrant and spicy” product characteristic of this sunny, windy region.
Harvesting pepper for export in Vinh Linh District.
Harvesting pepper for export in Vinh Linh District.

Quang Tri’s dried peppercorns have long been a renowned speciality. The scholar Le Quy Don mentioned them in his 18th-century work “Phu Bien Tap Luc” (Miscellaneous Chronicles of the Pacified Frontier), noting that many foreign merchants arrived in Quang Tri via the Cua Viet Sea to reach Bai An and Cam Lo to buy, sell and exchange dried peppercorns to take back to their countries, regarding them as “black gold”. Quang Tri’s dried pepper is currently considered to have the finest quality in the country, with firm, fragrant, spicy peppercorns, and the average bulk density of black pepper reaching 650 grams per litre.

Pioneering organic pepper production for export

Besides Quang Tri with its sizeable pepper cultivation area, only a few provinces can grow pepper plants. Due to the exceptional quality of the peppercorns, many buyers consistently wish to purchase Quang Tri’s dried peppercorns for export. To integrate more deeply with the global market, Quang Tri has implemented an effective organic pepper development programme for export in recent years. Many people are enthusiastic, jokingly calling it “fragrant and spicy export”.

Gio An Commune in the western part of Gio Linh District is situated in the former Bai An area and is now the pepper-growing capital of Quang Tri Province. This commune is the pioneer in growing organic pepper according to international standards, with an area of 85 out of 100 hectares, and the highest annual yield estimated at 3 tonnes of dried pepper per hectare.

In 2024, the highest price of dried pepper reached nearly 200,000 VND per kilogram, bringing a total value of over 20 billion VND to Gio An residents from dried pepper sales.

Le Phuoc Hieu, Vice Chairman of Gio An Commune People’s Committee, stated that the commune’s pepper is all grown according to US organic standards, so the export products are accepted by demanding markets at prices 10-20% higher than market prices, providing pepper growers with stable incomes. The journey of dried pepper from a traditional local speciality to becoming an organic product recognised on the international goods map is a long story that demonstrates the will and determination of the people of Gio An. The locality has established a cooperative to provide quality seedlings for pepper growers as well as to coordinate product purchases.

Becoming an organic pepper material area according to international standards involves a process of developing and establishing meticulous farming process monitoring records, and organising multiple safety assessments through soil, water, leaf, and peppercorn samples. With the pepper plantation area that has been certified organic, farmers must continue to strictly adhere to the production process required by businesses, as the certification is only valid for one year.

Pepper growers in Gio An are delighted as the volume of exported organic peppercorns has continuously increased over the years. Eight years ago, the first export was only 15 tonnes; by 2019, it reached 30 tonnes; and in 2024, it exceeded 100 tonnes. Growing organic pepper for export not only achieves high economic efficiency but also brings significant environmental value due to the organic cultivation process that respects nature.

The success in Gio An Commune has inspired many localities in Quang Tri to collaborate in growing organic pepper for export. Le Tuan Tuu, Director of Vinh Linh Pepper Production and Business Cooperative, said that the cooperative’s organic pepper area has reached 30 hectares and will soon increase to 50 hectares. Farmers do not use herbicides, chemical pesticides, or chemical fertilisers to grow pepper; they practise environmentally friendly cultivation methods, actively care for their pepper gardens, and comply well with ensuring the harvesting process, with pepper being dried on clean sheets and cleaned before packaging and preservation.

Nguyen Tan Thuy from Kim Thach Commune, Vinh Linh District, said that not only his family but also other pepper growers are pleased with the assistance from the Vinh Linh Pepper Production and Business Cooperative in guiding farmers to grow pepper both economically efficiently, enhancing the value of pepper gardens while ensuring a safe living environment.

Elevating a speciality product

Nguyen Hong Phuong, Deputy Director of the Quang Tri Department of Agriculture and Environment, said that to expand the organic pepper area for export, the department continues to direct communes including Gio An, Hai Thai, Gio Son, Phong Binh, and Trung Son in Gio Linh District, as well as communes in eastern Vinh Linh District and the Cua area of Cam Lo District, to prepare documentation requesting certification for organic pepper growing areas according to US NOP standards; accelerate the supply of pepper seedlings; provide technical support to help communes renovate gardens and build model gardens; and strive to develop western Gio Linh District into the largest organic pepper area in Quang Tri.

According to Nguyen Hong Phuong, the story of organic pepper exports has been given special attention by Quang Tri for many years to bring high profits to pepper growers.

During a programme to promote Vietnamese localities in the US organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in the US and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2018, Quang Tri introduced pepper products from Quang Tri Trade Corporation JSC in partnership with farmers. At the programme, Heidi Kuhn, CEO of Roots of Peace, tasted the pepper and described it as one of the best peppers in the world. Her organisation, Roots of Peace, has implemented a sustainable rural development project helping Quang Tri farmers grow organic pepper.

Heidi Kuhn aspires to transform bomb craters and minefields in Quang Tri into fruitful pepper gardens, creating all conditions for Quang Tri’s organic dried pepper to have an increasingly larger presence in the US market, becoming a seasoning that regularly appears in meals at homes and restaurants.

A positive outcome is that, under the witness of the Vietnamese Consulate General in San Francisco, the US-based Noble House Spice Group signed a memorandum of understanding with Quang Tri Trade Corporation JSC, committing to jointly support the development of the Quang Tri pepper brand for export to the US market. Both parties ensure that Quang Tri pepper is widely promoted for its quality and meets international standards, supporting farmers in sustainable pepper development. Based on this partnership, Quang Tri Trade Corporation JSC is collaborating with local functional departments to guide farmers in growing pepper that meets organic criteria for export.

Directive No. 38 dated August 20, 2024 from the Quang Tri Provincial Party Committee on promoting organic agricultural production, natural farming, circular agriculture, and high-tech agriculture linked to value chains identifies this as an important task with strategic significance for developing green and sustainable agriculture.

Among these, pepper is one of the long-term industrial crops with a leading position among the key, traditional crops of Quang Tri Province, which currently has more than 2,300 hectares of pepper plants concentrated in Gio Linh, Vinh Linh, Cam Lo, and Huong Hoa Districts.

Nguyen Hong Phuong noted that the US is Viet Nam’s largest export market for dried pepper, so Quang Tri’s development of organic pepper for export is a very appropriate direction, suitable for the global market and consumers.

However, compared to the currently available Quang Tri dried pepper speciality, the volume exported to this market has been modest. To boost dried pepper exports, the province is focusing on improving product yield and quality to create a competitive advantage compared to other growing regions while meeting international market requirements, helping to bring higher economic value.

Recently, the province has implemented many support policies and incentives for farmers to apply science and technology in dried pepper production, promoting organic production, and striving to increase the organic pepper area to 500 hectares by 2030. Additionally, the province has identified an increase in pepper growing areas in planned zones to ensure the total area reaches about 2,700 hectares, cultivated sustainably.

To continuously elevate the dried pepper speciality, Quang Tri has received support from the French government to establish geographical indications for the product. Along with proving the quality of Quang Tri pepper products, this initiative also affirms the quality of one of Viet Nam’s leading agricultural products in domestic and international markets.

NDO
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