Viet Nam ranks first in pepper exports and second in cinnamon exports globally, especially when participating in FTAs.The spice industry group is assessed to have an absolute comparative advantage in the global spice market.The statement was made by Hoang Thi Lien, President of Viet Nam Pepper Association (VPA), at a conference on the country’s journey to become a sustainable multispice origin taking place in Ha Noi on Friday.Lien said that Viet Nam currently ranked first in terms of export proportion and export output of pepper, however, there was still room for further development and exploitation of pepper plants.The country has been integrating globally, with many Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) signed.Strict requirements and regulations of the import market on non-tariff barriers continue to increase, especially issues related to pesticide residues (related to pepper) and heavy metals (related to the cinnamon tree).The unpredictable evolution of climate change would be the main challenge for the global agricultural sector, she added.Rising costs would also have a big impact on supply, said the president.Lien said that the export turnover of pepper and spices reached more than US$1.4 billion last year, contributing to more than $55 billion in export turnover of agro-forestry-fishery products for the whole year.Viet Nam is one of the major spice producers and exporters in the world, of which exports account for about 11 per cent of the global market share last year, according to ITC.Of which, the US, the EU, China, India and Middle East are the leading import markets of some Vietnamese spices such as pepper, cinnamon and star anise.Recently, the import markets have continuously had warnings about pesticide residues as well as the rising frequency of control and tightening of MRLs for food in general, including Vietnamese spices.Nguyen Van Dien, director of the Viet Nam Administration of Forestry's Forestry Production Development Department, said that with favourable natural conditions, it had put cinnamon, pepper, and star anise in the top five in the world.A VPA report shows that Viet Nam exported 76,727 tonnes of pepper with a total export turnover of $235.9 million in the first quarter of this year.Compared to the same period last year, the export volume increased by 40.5 per cent, however, the export turnover decreased by 7.3 per cent.The country exported 18,685 tonnes of cinnamon in the first quarter with a total export turnover of $54.8 million, up 45.8 per cent in volume and 13.8 per cent in value year-on-year.Viet Nam exported 3,369 tonnes of star anise in Q1 with total export turnover of $21.6 million. Compared to the same period last year, the export volume increased by 261.9 per cent.VPA reported that the pepper crop of the country would be relatively positive this year, with an estimated harvest output of 200,000 tonnes, up 9.3 per cent compared to last year.Meanwhile, according to the International Pepper Community (IPC), the harvest from other producing countries such as Brazil, Indonesia and India are forecast to decrease compared to last year.Total global pepper production is estimated at 526,000 tonnes this year compared to 537,600 tonnes last year.Viet Nam's cinnamon output is forecast to increase over last year and is estimated at about 45,000 tonnes. — VNS (ICE HO CHI MINH CITY)

Fonte notizia: Vietnam News