Nguyen Ngoc Luan, director of Lam San Cooperative, said they began delivering exports of pepper to the European market in 2015. The Cooperative coordinated with 1,500 households to ensure a stable supply of large shipments of peppercorns at the required quality standards, which has allowed them to sign long-term export contracts.

One shortcoming of Vietnamese pepper products is pesticide residue, which the Cooperative is seeking to resolve by providing farmers with essential agricultural knowledge, modern farming techniques, and proper practices for pesticide and fertilizer use.

The Cooperative is negotiating with partners from the EU to sign export contracts worth around 1,500 tons of pepper to the Netherlands and Germany next year, Mr Luan said.

The Lam San Cooperative is the first Vietnamese company to export pepper to the EU.

There are approximately 15,000ha of pepper trees in Dong Nai at present, mainly in Cam My, Xuan Loc, and Thong Nhat districts.  However,  sporadic and small scale farming, lack of linkage, pesticide abuse, and fertilizer misuse hinder the growth of pepper exports to demanding markets despite the vast cultivation areas in the province, said Mr Luan.