Rome (VNA) – Vietnam is among exhibitors at the 11thedition of the World Chili Pepper Trade Fair (Fiera Campionaria Mondiale delPeperoncino) in the city of Rieti, central Italy from August 24 – 28,introducing not only its best chili pepper products but also other farm produce, suchas pepper, tea, coffee, wood ear, shiitake mushrooms and galangal.

This year, the annual festival features more than 160 boothswith about 450 chili pepper varieties from all over the world on display.Various cultural and culinary activities are scheduled on the sidelines of theevent, attracting hundreds of thousands chili pepper enthusiasts and foreignvisitors.

The fair takes place at the right time, when the globaldemand for spices is on a rise, Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy Duong Hai Hungsaid in his remarks at the event’s opening. The EU is now the world’s largestspices market.

Hung said the event is not only an expo for chili pepper andspices but also a cultural festival, bringing Rieti and Italy closer to theworld and the world, including Vietnam, closer to Italy.

He highlighted agricultural products as Vietnam’s key exportitems which brought home close to 32.3 billion USD in revenue in the firstseven months of 2022, up 12.2% against the same period last year. Vietnam isemerging as a major spices supplier in the global market, the diplomat said,adding that the country has been the world’s No.1 pepper bean exporter for 18 years.

Vietnam shipped 4.6 million USD worth ofpepper bean to Italy last year. Its cinnamon andanise products account for some 3% of Italy’s market share.

According to Hung, Vietnam is not only a supplier of spicesbut also a very promising market with a population of nearly 100 million and a fast-growing middle class thanks to decades of robust economic development. Vietnamboasts strong connectivity with various major markets through 16 free trade agreementswhich it is signatory to.

Hung was the only foreign ambassador invited to speak andcut the ribbon at the launching ceremony./.