Pepper growers are happy because prices are rising.

Pepper price has jumped from 50,000 VND/kg to 160,000 VND/kg but supply cannot meet demand so it is predicted that pepper price will continue to increase without stopping...

In recent days, pepper farmers in Duc Linh and Tanh Linh districts have been very happy because pepper prices have been skyrocketing day by day. However, many areas have died due to pests or prolonged heat without enough irrigation water, so the output supplied to the market is not much. Mr. Nguyen Dung in Suoi Lanh area, Da Kai commune, Duc Linh has a cashew garden of about 3 hectares, under the cashew trees he intercropped pepper trees. A few years ago, pepper only cost 50,000 - 60,000 VND/kg, so his family did not invest much in fertilizer, because investing too much would mean a loss, so they left the pepper garden alone, earning as much as they could. At the end of last year's crop, pepper prices showed signs of increasing, so many pepper growers began to take care of fertilizing and spraying pesticides. Mr. Dung said: "Pepper is very difficult to grow. My family had a specialized pepper garden, but 2 years ago, it all died, leaving only 3 hectares intercropped under the cashew trees, but the yield was not as high as the specialized crop." Ms. Le Chien - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Da Kai commune said: In the past 3 years, the area of ​​specialized pepper cultivation in the commune has died a lot, now there are only about 90 hectares of pepper grafted with cashew. Monoculture pepper can yield from 1500 to 3000 tons/ha per hectare, but grafted pepper can only yield 500 to 800 tons/ha. This year, pepper prices increased, but when the price was around 100,000 - 110,000 VND/kg, people sold a lot, only a few families had the conditions to store pepper, so now they made a big profit...". In Duc Tin and Duc Linh communes, many pepper growers have invested in methods such as drip irrigation from root to tip, isolating strangers from entering the garden to avoid disease infection. Mr. Nguyen Ry in Duc Tin, who has a pepper garden of over 3 hectares, said: Growing and caring for pepper plants is very difficult, there is currently no specific medicine to treat pepper diseases, so when a plant gets sick, it must be isolated and not go in or out of the isolated area to avoid infection to other plants. Because pepper plants are difficult to care for but the price has not reached expectations, while other crops such as coffee and durian have had record prices in recent years, many households have destroyed their pepper gardens to plant other plants...

Farmers tend pepper gardens.

Mr. Truong Quang Den - Head of Duc Linh Agriculture and Rural Development Department said: The whole district currently has 628 hectares of pepper, most of which are at harvest age, with an average yield of 15 - 16 quintals/hectare, and an output of about 972 tons.

If in Duc Linh pepper is included in the strategic crop planning, in Tanh Linh pepper is not included in the planned crop due to soil quality and other conditions. However, many households in Tanh Linh have the conditions to still grow pepper. Mr. Phan Dai in Duc Thuan commune a few years ago invested in building brick pillars to grow pepper, but after 3 years of harvesting, the pepper got sick and died in the garden. Not discouraged, he planted pepper on the hillside of more than 1 hectare, sticking with it through several low-priced pepper crops. This year he harvested nearly 2 tons of commercial pepper, so he was very happy. He confided: All agricultural products follow market prices, so year after year, many households, when they see low prices, immediately cut them down and plant other trees, but when they harvest, the other trees are out of season while pepper is high in price, so they regret it. Therefore, not only with pepper but also with other types of trees, before planting, we must determine the long-term market value and be persistent to get good revenue. Currently, Tanh Linh has about 114 hectares of pepper concentrated in the northern part of the district river from Huy Khiem to Duc Phu...

According to statistics, Vietnam exported 113,000 tons of pepper of all kinds in the first 5 months of 2024, while the supply is increasingly narrowing. The amount needed for export has decreased significantly while the 2025 harvest season is still 8 months away. This is a big challenge for the pepper market when the supply is forecast to be lower than global demand. In the context of low global pepper inventories, pepper output in many countries is low due to the negative impact of the El Nino phenomenon... causing pepper prices to likely continue to increase. Assessing the cause of the continuous increase in pepper prices, experts from the pepper association said that pepper inventories in major producing countries such as Vietnam, India and Brazil are all low, while consumption demand has been high in recent times. Pepper purchasing activities of businesses have increased sharply to prepare for the holidays of the year. In addition, domestic and international demand for pepper is on the rise as consumers increasingly prefer natural, healthy spices. In addition, the demand for pepper reserves is also increasing due to concerns that supply may continue to decrease in the future, many investors and businesses have increased purchases for reserves.

Pepper prices are increasing day by day and will likely continue to rise to “peak” like in 2015 with a price of 250,000 VND/kg. This is the “golden” time to help pepper growers have a high source of revenue for reinvestment…

Source: https://baobinhthuan.com.vn/nguoi-trong-tieu-vui-vi-gia-dang-tang-cao-119495.html