In the first 5 months of the year, Vietnam’s exports of ginger, garlic and turmeric increased 3-14 times over the same period last year, earning millions of USD.
Vietnam has affirmed its position as the world’s top spice exporter, reaching a turnover of about 1.5 billion USD per year. In which, pepper ranks first with a 5-month export turnover of nearly half a billion USD, up 21% over the same period in 2023. In addition to pepper, this year recorded a breakthrough of other spices such as ginger, garlic, turmeric.
Data from Customs shows that turmeric exports reached 3 million USD, up 14 times over the same period last year; ginger reached 5.6 million USD, an increase of nearly 9 times and garlic reached 4.7 million USD, an increase of 3 times.
Similarly, Vietnamese chili peppers are also increased by many countries. In the first 5 months of the year, the export turnover of this item was about 44.5 million USD, up 10% over the same period last year.
In contrast, cinnamon exports fell more than 4% to $96 million, and star anise fell 15% to $27.3 million.
Industry experts believe that exports of many spices have skyrocketed
The first 5 months of the year were due to a decrease in supply in the world. Meanwhile, the demand for spice stocks from the US, China, and Japan is increasing. Currently, the US, China, India, UAE and the Philippines are in the top 5 countries that prefer Vietnamese spices.
According to the Vietnam Pepper and Spice Association (VPSA), Vietnam ranks 3rd globally in spice exports and occupies many important markets. However, this industry is still facing many challenges. In the past 5 years, pepper production has decreased seriously due to the destruction of trees.
VPSA forecasts that this year’s pepper production may decrease by about 10-15%, to 160,000-165,000 tons. Star anise production is also facing difficulties with fragmented planting areas and lack of planning.
Other spice plants such as chili, ginger, and turmeric also continuously fall into the situation of “losing price” and lack of quality control. In particular, cinnamon trees have increased in area from 13,863 hectares in 2000 to 186,000 hectares in 2023, making Vietnam the country with the largest cinnamon area in the world, with cinnamon bark production reaching 72,000 tons in 2023. However, the cinnamon industry still does not have a strategic orientation for sustainable development.
VPSA suggested that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development should come up with specific solutions for each type of crop, build appropriate mechanisms to promptly meet market requirements. In addition, the Ministry needs to deal with chemical residues in herbicides and pesticides for products such as cinnamon, chili, ginger and turmeric.
Source: vnexpress.net
