Vinh Linh organic red pepper aims at foreign markets

Pepper harvest in Vinh Hoa commune, Vinh Linh district - Photo: PN

Vinh Linh has many favorable conditions for growing pepper. Thanks to the large and fertile land area, the locality has so far built a specialized area with an area of ​​nearly 1,400 hectares, accounting for half of the total pepper growing area in the whole province.

Notably, Vinh Linh pepper has been evaluated by the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences as one of the top 5 pepper varieties in our country. Along with that, the geographical indication of Quang Tri pepper has created an advantage to pave the way for the product to find a firm foothold in the market. In particular, following the success of the organic pepper production project implemented by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vinh Linh district (old) in coordination with the Vinh Linh Pepper Production and Trading Cooperative (HTX) on an area of ​​23.6 hectares in 2020, the red pepper product continues to be recognized as meeting the provincial 4-star OCOP standard and expanding the cultivation area to more than 31 hectares. This result further affirms the quality of Vinh Linh organic pepper products, which have full standards and capabilities to reach foreign markets.

To quickly achieve this goal, Vinh Linh district determined that it is necessary to first ensure the requirements on production scale and output quality meeting standards. Therefore, in addition to maintaining effective cultivation of the existing organic pepper area, the locality is focusing on expanding the scale and aiming to develop about 200-300 hectares by 2030.

Therefore, the District Department of Agriculture and Environment and Vinh Linh Pepper Production and Trading Cooperative are strengthening guidance and support for pepper growers to expand model pepper gardens, and training and transferring techniques to 100% of member households participating in planting and caring for pepper according to high-quality processes.

At the same time, we perform well input services to control quality right from the beginning of the production process; apply completely organic planting and care processes, drip irrigation systems... to ensure product safety.

In particular, the processing process is carried out centrally at the factory of Vinh Linh Pepper Production and Trading Cooperative with clean pepper processing technology applying modern machinery such as infrared dryers, vacuum machines, SEAL laminating films, electronic scales, inkjet printers. The processing process is also monitored and fully recorded in the production logbook from the stage of selecting raw materials, processing, producing finished products to preservation.

Accordingly, the standard raw material seeds selected are red ripe seeds, plump shells, not wrinkled and bright red. After being washed, the peppercorns are drained and put into an infrared drying oven with suitable temperature and time, ensuring the peppercorn moisture is within the range of 9-11%.

After cooling, the pepper is put into a size-sorting machine to screen out impurities. After going through the above steps, the pepper is packaged with an electronic scale to determine the weight of each type, then put into a vacuum machine and packaged.

The pepper is now basically finished but will continue to be sealed through the aluminum SEAL laminating machine to ensure that the product is not damp during the sale process. The final step is to label the product with full information about the traceability stamp, product name, and packaging date. After completing all the above steps, the organic red pepper product will be placed in a warehouse for storage before being brought to market. All stages are guaranteed to be carried out in accordance with international procedures and standards.

The main market of Vinh Linh organic red pepper products is currently still determined to be domestic with many agents and points of sale in and outside the province such as AOI Foods Quang Tri, QTO, sales points of Hien Luong-Ben Hai relic site, Vinh Moc tunnel, No. 489 Hoang Quoc Viet, Ngo Xuan Quang- Hanoi , AOI Foods Da Nang, major supermarkets... In addition, the production unit has also built a sales website htxhattieuvinhlinh.com to promote products and directly sell online.

However, with the goal of reaching out to large markets such as Europe, the US and some Asian countries, in addition to fully meeting the strict quality requirements to be able to export products abroad, the production unit focuses on promoting activities associated with companies and businesses, enhancing product promotion through participation in seminars, exhibitions, conferences connecting supply and demand and promoting trade....

At the same time, targeting the market segment of restaurant chefs, tourists , artists, celebrities with high incomes and the need to buy luxury products as gifts. This is considered an important output and a highly effective product promotion channel. Thanks to that, Vinh Linh red pepper products have been present in the US market, initially approached the Australian market and are currently expanding to the German market.

Deputy Director of Vinh Linh Pepper Production and Trading Cooperative Nguyen Tan Minh said: “Targeting foreign markets is a big goal that brings both opportunities and challenges to the members of the cooperative in the production process.

Require members to strictly follow the processes according to high quality standards, completely change previous farming and production practices with organic and safe methods. But through that, the value of the product will be constantly improved, the income of the producer will also increase. In particular, it contributes to affirming the brand and quality of local clean agricultural products.

Phuong Nga

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/hat-tieu-do-huu-co-vinh-linh-huong-toi-thi-truong-nuoc-ngoai-193087.htm