Vietnam exported 267,000 tons of pepper worth $912 million in 2023, a 16.6 per cent increase year-on-year in volume but down 6.0 per cent in value, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The falling value resulted from a lower export price for Vietnamese pepper, which stood at $3,420 per ton last year, down 19.4 per cent compared to 2022.

The US is currently the largest importer of Vietnamese pepper, accounting for 23.5 per cent, followed by China with 14.1 per cent, India 5.4 per cent, and Germany 4.3 per cent.

The Vietnam Pepper Association has forecast that the country’s pepper output this year will fall by between 10 and 15 per cent, to 160,000-165,000 tons.