Vietnam’s shipments amounted to 44,100 tons during the period, with value rising by 21% to US$331 million, according to the United States International Trade Commission.
In volume terms, Vietnam accounted for 80.4% of the U.S. imports of 54,900 tons, up from 69% a year ago.
Overall, the U.S. imported pepper worth $407 million in the seven months, up 5.4%.
Imports from two other major suppliers, Indonesia and India, declined by 59.3% and 17.2% in volume.
Shipments from Brazil and China rose 6.8% and 4.8%, but they accounted for only 4% and 0.9% of the supply.
Vietnam’s Agency for Foreign Trade said pepper exports to the U.S. rose thanks to steady supply, improved quality, and lower prices.
The average price of Vietnamese pepper fell marginally to $7,499 per ton while that of Indonesian exports went up 18% to $8,691.
Vietnam also offers a wide range of pepper products for different market segments, including whole black peppercorns catering to food manufacturers, ground pepper, white pepper, and packaged products for the restaurant and retail sectors, the agency added.
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Black peppercorns sold in Phu Quoc, Vietnam. Photo by BSIP via AFP |
The Vietnam Pepper and Spice Association expected shipments to the U.S. to continue to rise in the remaining months of the year.
But businesses need to explore new processing methods to add value to their products while ensuring food safety, traceability, and quality, it added.