2 “masters” of organic pepper

Hung Phuoc Township is currently the area with the largest pepper-growing area in Bu Dop (Binh Phuoc) District. Coming to Hung Phuoc these days, it is not difficult to see some pepper gardens that were planted about ten years ago and are still green and productive. What they have in common is that these pepper gardens are cultivated according to organic and biological methods.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Xoan’s family’s 2-hectare pepper garden in Bu Tam Hamlet, Hung Phuoc Municipality is one of 60 certified organic households owned by Nedspice Vietnam Spice Processing Co., Ltd (Nedspice Company) manufacturing partner in Binh Phuoc . First of all, despite being classified as an “old tree” and planted about 20 years ago, Mrs. Xoan’s pepper garden is still green and produces an average yield of 4-5 tons/ha, sometimes up to 6-8 tons/ha .

Ms. Xoan said that as soon as she started pepper cultivation, she found that chemical fertilizer abuse and improper fertilization will lead to death of pepper plants. So she decided to take care of it biologically and use mostly manure.

To achieve high efficiency, Ms. Xoan mixed locally available goat manure with probiotics and Trichoderma fungus and incubated for about 6 months to fertilize the pepper. In addition to the fertilizer stage, she plants the entire pepper area with living columns for sustainable growth. In the garden she always leaves grass, absolutely does not use chemical drugs.

After a long effort, in 2020 her family is one of the few local households to receive certified organic pepper. Thanks to the relatively early signing of a consignment agreement with the Nedspice Company, all of the pepper production from this crop was purchased from her family. After deducting all costs and labour, her family makes a profit of several hundred million dongs/ha.

“There are many advantages to growing pepper plants organically. I have been growing pepper for more than 22 years, sustainable harvest, stable yield, almost rarely get sick quickly, die slowly. In particular, the price of organic pepper is always higher than the market price,” Ms. Xoan said excitedly.

Contrasting with the yellow scattered fruits in the pepper gardens in the same area, Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Nha’s family’s 2+ ha organic pepper garden in Hamlet 4, Hung Phuoc Township is still green and full of fruits thanks to the compliance with the cultivation process from the Nedspice Company.

Accordingly, all of Ms. Nha’s orchards are fertilized with microorganic organic fertilizers and irrigated both below and above to keep the columnar and pepper plants growing well. The grass in the pepper garden is not removed so as not to affect the pepper roots and lead to disease. Instead, grass is mowed to keep the soil moist. In addition to microbial organic fertilizers, beneficial microorganisms in the soil have a “living soil” that helps pepper plants create better conditions for development and increase resistance to pests and diseases.

In recent years, Ms. Nha’s pepper garden has always had a stable yield. Preliminary calculation, 1 ha produces an average of 4 tons of dried peppers, with the current selling price for Nedspice Company being 75,000-80,000 VND/kg (over 20% higher than the market), after deducting expenses, Ms. Nha has a net profit of more than 300 million VND /Ha.

“Due to the cultivation according to the organic standard, pepper has a high selling price and the care of the tree is also gentle, pepper grows more sustainably. If chemical drugs are abused, the yield will be high at the initial stage, but the pepper plants’ lifespan is short and the starting products are precarious,” Ms. Nha said excitedly.

Sweet fruit after 10 years of persistence with organic production

According to the Binh Phuoc Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the entire province currently has about 15,000 hectares of pepper. In order to develop sustainable pepper, the Provincial Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in cooperation with the Dutch Development Organization and the Nedspice Company, has been running the “Development of a Sustainable Pepper Supply Chain” project since 2013.

The aim of the project is to support the development of pepper production models through the formation of groups, groups and clubs of farmers who produce sustainable pepper. After more than 10 years with many phases of implementation, the project has brought high efficiency to the pepper farmers in Binh Phuoc to date.

Mr. Le Thanh Hung, Policy Manager of Nedspice Company in Binh Phuoc, said that sustainable organic pepper growing is primarily there to protect the green – clean living environment for public health and also for the pepper growers. Members associated with the Nedspice Company were aware of the law of the market that farmers do not set the price but are dependent on consumers. Accordingly, the pepper farmers have to follow the rules of the market even in good times because the supply has not covered the demand.

Pepper was one of the most important crops in Binh Phuoc many years ago. At the time when pepper prices were high, many farmers planted them massively, disrupting provincial planning while creating epidemic pressure, causing a large area of ​​pepper to die, resulting in economic losses. At present, the “Development of a Sustainable Pepper Supply Chain” project in the province has gradually increased its value and created the right direction, which is to link the production and consumption of products.

“Organic farming not only creates sustainability for the soil, but also helps the plant ecosystem to develop sustainably, not to mention that the purchase price offered by the company is always 20-30% above the market price. We have followed and selected the garden as a model for sustainable organic pepper cultivation to emulate,” said Mr. Le Thanh Hung.

According to Mr. Tran Van Phuong, deputy director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Binh Phuoc, investing in intensive farming and applying technical advances in line with international standards have ensured pepper growers’ profits and improved pepper growers’ quality, as well as fairness in quality measurement. The project has motivated people to increase production, gradually increase the value of pepper products, increase income and stabilize their lives.

“After more than 10 years of implementation, the Sustainable Development of the Pepper Supply Chain project has helped improve production conditions, affecting cultivation, harvesting… and farmer awareness. The pepper farmers in the province are familiar with the concept of clean pepper growing, responsible production goes hand in hand with rights. So far, Binh Phuoc pepper has been recognized by customers and rated by buyers as the province with the best pepper quality today.

The positive impact of the project has spread and is a prerequisite for other programs and projects in farmer-business production links. By doing this, we contribute to the improvement of the market for sustainable products in the context of international integration linked to protecting the ecosystem from the risk of climate change, which is happening more and more severely today,” said Mr. Tran Van. Phuong, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Binh Phuoc Province.