HANOI, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam exported a total of 177,000 tons of pepper worth 1.42 billion U.S. dollars in 2016, breaking the earlier record of 1.29 billion U.S. dollars set in 2015, according to Vietnam Pepper Association (VPA) on Friday.
The country's pepper export volume accounted for some 55 percent of the world's total pepper output in 2016, said VPA on local Vietnam Economic Times (VET).
Major markets for Vietnamese pepper last year included the United States, United Arab Emirates, India and Germany. Those with sharp growth included Pakistan, the Philippines, the U.S., Egypt, Spain and India, said the association.
In 2001, Vietnam's pepper export value hit 900,000 U.S. dollars. The figure went up by 57.8 percent after 15 years, reported VET, adding that the largest advantage of Vietnamese pepper results from Vietnam being the world's biggest pepper supplier.
However, despite setting continuous records, Vietnam's pepper sector has many things to do for sustainable development, said Do Ha Nam, VPA chairman.
According to Nam, Vietnam has so far failed in preventing local people to expand plantation area. It's time to stop spontaneous massive development as the country's current pepper growing area remains high, said the insider.
In addition, the use of unofficially accredited pepper seeds has led to epidemic outbreaks and excessive use of plant protection products among local people.
Nam thus proposed the sector to focus on developing pepper trees in areas with high productivity and good quality.
