The export of renowned Kampot pepper, one of Cambodia’s only two products to be registered as a Geographical Indication in the European Union, had declined by almost a third in 2022, a farmers’ representative said on Feb. 1.

Nguon Lay, president of the Kampot Pepper Promotion Association, said the Southeast Asian nation exported only 79 tons of Kampot pepper last year, down 30.7 percent from 114 tons in the year before.

He said some 85 percent of the pepper was shipped to Europe and the remaining 15 percent was sold to other countries, including the United States, Canada, China, Japan, and South Korea.

“I believe that the slump was due to consumers’ cut in spending on non-essential goods as Europe’s economy has slowed down, also, it was due to the depreciation of the euro against the U.S. dollar, as most of the companies used the dollar to buy pepper from our association for exporting to Europe,” he added.

Renowned for its delicate aroma and strong spicy taste, Kampot pepper,Combodia’s geographical indication product since 2010, is currently popular in the European market.

Lay said Kampot pepper comes in three varieties — black, red and white — selling for 15 U.S. dollars, 25 dollars and 28 dollars per kilogram, respectively.

Cambodia and China signed November 2022 a memorandum of understanding on the phytosanitary requirements for pepper export, paving the way for the direct shipment of Cambodian pepper to China.

“We hope that our Kampot pepper will also be famous in China in the future as we see China as a huge market for our pepper,” Lay said.

Located in the southwestern region, the coastal province of Kampot has some 240 hectares of pepper farms, he said, adding that a hectare yields an average of 2.5 tons per annum and the harvest season runs from March to June.