Preliminary statistics from Vietnam Pepper Association (VPA) show that Vietnam exported 1,435 tonnes of chili in May with a turnover of 3.3 million USD, down 25.8% compared to the previous month. China was Vietnam's largest chili export market in the month, reaching 1,273 tonnes, accounting for 88.7%.
In the first 5 months of 2024, Vietnam exported 6,511 tonnes of chili and earned more than 16 million USD, up 10.1% in volume and a sharp increase of 36.5% in turnover compared to the same period last year. China maintained its position as the largest export market with 5,791 tonnes, up 8% over the same period last year. Laos ranked second with 461 tonnes, up 15.8% over 5M/2023.
In 2023, chili export reached a turnover of 20 million USD, equivalent to 10,173 tonnes, a sharp increase of 107% over 2022.
Globally, India is the world's leading producer and exporter of dried chili, accounting for more than 6.11% in 2021, followed by Vietnam, China and Indonesia. India is also the world's leading producer and consumer of chili with about 36% of global output, exporting about 30% of total output.
The Mekong Delta is considered the 'capital' of chili in Vietnam. Here, chili is grown mostly in provinces of Dong Thap, An Giang, Tien Giang, Soc Trang, Vinh Long and Tra Vinh with a total area of over 7,000 hectares, with an output of about 100,000 tonnes per year. Meanwhile, in the Central Highlands, planting area is about 4,000-5,000 hectares with an output of about 60,000 tonnes per year.
Since March 2022, fresh chili from Vietnam has been approved for export to the Chinese market. Accordingly, all shipments of fresh chili must be quarantined by Vietnamese functional units or authorized by Vietnamese functional units and must clearly annotate relevant parameters in the plant quarantine certificate.
What makes China increase import of Vietnamese chili, according to experts, is that Vietnamese chili is highly spicy and diverse in types. Some types of chili for export include: Chili pepper, hot chili, yellow horn chili, sweet chili and Chi Dia chili.
In addition, difference in seasons also helps increase export output. In China, harvest mainly takes place from June to October every year. In Vietnam, chili is usually grown in 2 crops, so there are many harvest times from April to early July and from January to February.
Chili is a fruit that is no longer strange to Vietnamese consumers. Farmers consider chili plants to be a 'one capital, ten profits' plant because chili has characteristics of short-term growth, can be intercropped with fruit trees and does not require much care, so it is suitable for cultivation conditions of farmers across the country.
Normally, chili plants will be planted around September to November every year. After 2 months of planting, chili tree will begin to yield 3 to 4 harvests in about 3 months with the highest quality fruit with an ideal weight of up to 4 kg per tree.

Source: Vitic/ congthuong.vn