On December 4 in Ho Chi Minh City, the International Pepper Conference – VIPO 2018 took place, led by the Vietnam Pepper Association (VPA) in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the International Pepper Association ( IPC), European Spices Association (ESA), American Spices Trade Association (ASTA)… organizations.
Attending the meeting were Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Quoc Doanh.
The conference attracted more than 200 delegates including traders, importers and exporters, government agencies, financial companies, non-governmental organizations, and spice associations … interested in pepper. come from Vietnam and all over the world.
According to Mr. Nguyen Nam Hai – VPA Chairman, VIPO 2018 helps parties meet, exchange discussions, dialogue, discuss, share information and cooperate in the pepper sector. The content of VIPO 2018 focuses on evaluating the pepper supply and demand situation in 2018 and the prospects of the Vietnamese pepper industry, identifying factors that can affect pepper production – trade in 2019 and in the future. hybrid. The conference also informed about Vietnam’s efforts to improve pepper quality in recent years.
Speaking at the conference, Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong said that VIPO 2018 took place in a very special context: There are no agricultural products but the total global area is only about 460,000 hectares, the total output is less than half a million. ton; production is concentrated in 5 countries, accounting for 90% of the global pepper area; at the same time there is also the International Association,… in fact, administration should be very easy.
However, in the past 3 years, pepper prices have continuously dropped, making farmers and chain participants both passive and risky. One of the important reasons leading to this situation is that pepper acreage and output have been constantly increasing in recent years, supply – demand is imbalanced (within 5-7 years, the area of pepper has tripled. ).
Therefore, the Minister recommended, for sustainable development, to drastically restructure the pepper industry. First of all, it is necessary to reduce the acreage of pepper in areas planted in contravention of the rules, the yield and quality are not high to give way to other crops. The Vietnamese government has a policy of directing quality as a development criterion, requiring all concerned agencies and Vietnamese farmers to be drastically implemented. From the management stage, the process of farming, harvesting, and processing … must take food hygiene and safety as the top criterion, in which a part is committed to developing organic pepper. The Prime Minister has issued a Resolution on organic agricultural products, next time, Vietnam will issue the Law on Organic Agriculture to see Vietnam’s determination in reducing chemicals in agricultural products.
In addition, the Minister also suggested that the International Pepper Association, the International Spice Associations, as well as the pepper producing and trading countries do in-depth research to produce more high-value products from pepper. such as perfumes, essential oils, preparations for many types of goods … to create diversified added value for this item.
“The State of Vietnam will accompany the development program of pepper in accordance with international practices and the WTO, how can we build this industry for sustainable development, bringing benefits to workers? genuine benefits and benefits for all participants in the pepper chain. On a global scale, Vietnam is actively integrating, properly implementing the treaty of integration and Vietnamese agricultural production will comply with those requirements ”, the Minister said.
According to the Vietnam Industry Newspaper
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