Regular-pepper prices dip 31-42% on-year
farmers to produce peppercorn at lower costs and … make a profit,” Ny said, noting that prices in the past “two or three years” have been particularly low.
He said that the average perkg going-rate for regular-grade black pepper is now 10,00011,000 riel ($2.44-2.69), as opposed to 16,000-17,000 riel in the year-ago period.
Pepper vines usually reach fruit-bearing age 18 months after planting and remain productive in fruiting for up to 20 years, he shared.
Among the varieties cultivated in the Kingdom, Kampot pepper is the most highlyprized, grown in the namesake coastal province, and remains the sole cultivar protected under national geographical indication (GI). The Kampot Pepper Promotion Association (KPPA) is in charge of managing this GI.
KPPA president Nguon Lay doesn’t see the Kampot pepper industry significantly profiting from the mainland Chinese market, given the spice’s higher price tag compared to regular-grade product, as well as strong demand from existing markets, especially Europe, the US, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The per-kilogramme prices for Kampot peppercorn have remained the same for several years, at $15 for black, $25 for red and $28 for white, he noted.
He explained that Kampot pepper is usually harvested each year between the beginning of January and end-July, adding that production in 2022 reached the typical amount of “more than 100 tonnes”, some 80 tonnes of which had been exported as of December 14.
“At any rate, I’d like to encourage anyone wishing to export to the Chinese market to register as soon as possible, to boost exports,” Lay said.
The agriculture ministry reported that overall peppercorn exports reached 7,704.25 tonnes in the January-October period, marking a 72.12 per cent year-on-year decline from 27,633.77 tonnes, with Vietnam buying the lion’s share at 6,645.78 tonnes or 86.26 per cent, followed by Germany, the US, Taiwan and France.