Vietnam is likely to increase its pepper purchases from Cambodia in 2025 as Vietnam needs pepper to boost its exports to the world market.
People who have pepper farms and are harvesting in Cambodia may continue to have saliva in 2025. Cambodia’s market is showing signs of growth, although the export volume is not as large as that of neighboring countries, especially Vietnam.
After exports reached nearly $1.4 billion with a 45 percent increase in 2024, Vietnam expects export growth to remain strong in 2025, Vietnam News reported.
To achieve this high-value pepper export, Vietnam also imports from other countries, including Cambodia, to meet the demands of its customers around the world.
The same source said that last year, Vietnam imported more than 36,700 tons of pepper. With a value of $176.2 million, an increase of 38% compared to 2023.
The newspaper said that Vietnam’s largest pepper suppliers were Indonesia, Brazil and Cambodia, with imports from Indonesia increasing by 431% and from Cambodia by 80.7%, while imports from Brazil decreased by 42.4%.
Regarding pepper crops in Cambodia, it is known that there are irregular statistics depending on the decisions of farmers. Some years, the area planted with pepper may increase, and some years it may decrease, depending on the market situation. When the price of pepper rises, farmers rush to plant more land and increase yields. But sometimes farmers cut them down and grow other crops because of the loss.
According to a report recorded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the area under pepper cultivation in the country is only about 7,000 hectares. Pepper can be grown in many places, such as in the eastern region, from Kampong Cham, Tbong Khmum, Ratanakkiri, Mondulkiri, etc., but the pepper that has a wide market and is expensive is in Kampot and Kep.
Pepper from Kampot and Kep, which are recognized as geographical indications, has a market in many countries, including the European Union, the United States, Japan, South Korea, and China, but pepper from other regions is only available in Vietnam. In 2024, the Ministry of Commerce said that Cambodia exported pepper worth $35.27 million, an increase of more than 20 percent.
Pepper is a type of vine crop that is harvested for use as a spice and has been grown in Cambodia for a long time. However, the market share of Cambodian pepper is still very small. The countries that export the most pepper are Vietnam, Brazil, Indonesia, India, etc.
