Kampot Pepper Farmers to see Bumper Year
When the harvest season for Kampot pepper starts next month, farmers in Kampot province expect this year’s crop to yield more than 17 percent above last year, a representative of the farmers said. Nguon Lay, president of the Kampot Pepper Association, said last week that he expected the province to produce 27 tons of pepper by the end of the harvest in May, up 23 tons of pepper produced during last years harvest. … The price farmers are getting for their peppers has also risen since last year, he said. Black pepper is now worth $11 per kg, up from 8 kg last year and white pepper is now fetching $18 per kg up from $15 per kg last year. … He said pepper was largely been exported to Western countries like France and the U.S but that demand had recently from Asian countries. … “but we can’t supply them because we don’t have enough yet.” … Pepper Farmers in Kompong Cham province, whose produce does not carry the sough after “Geographic indicator ” of Kampot pepper, were also expecting a good harvest. “Our pepper is cheaper than Kampot pepper because it is not famous… but we make more money than Kampot farmers because we produce more… We have a market to export into Thailand”.
