BINH PHUOC province, Vietnam – The pepper industry in Vietnam has difficulty in keeping up with the increasing demand for production. To address this issue, the “Sustainable Agricultural and Food Safety Excellence for Pepper in Vietnam” (SAFE PEPPER) project was launched.
ASSIST partnered with DEG, Eurofins, Nedspice, and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Binh Phuoc province for the SAFE PEPPER project. Stakeholder meetings and Trainings of Teachers (ToT) were held simultaneously in recent months.
Fifteen experienced farmers were selected from cooperatives within the province to undergo ToT. Eight pepper cooperatives, with about 250 farmers in total, were selected. Nedspice, a private company that processes spices, conducted the trainings at local cultural houses. A total of 500 beneficiaries will be supported through the project.
Workshops on international standards, food safety regulations, impact of fertilizers and pesticides on health of farmers are scheduled to take place in the following months. “We are blessed with the support from the local communities,” commented Vo Phan Kim Ngan, project manager of ASSIST Vietnam. “With our efforts on track, we hope to have no problem in fulfilling our goal of building capacity for the farmers and increase quality and quantity of pepper production. “
