KIEN GIANG (VNS)— Phu Quoc island district in the southern province of Kien Giang is making all-out efforts to improve the quality and value of pepper, aiming to obtain the Global Good Agricultural Practice certificate.

With 385 hectares of pepper plantations, mostly in Cua Duong and Cua Can communes, Phu Quoc reaps nearly 1,000 tonnes of pepper a year.

The locality plans to expand its plantations to 500 hectares by 2015 and 1,000 hectares by 2020, with expected yield of 3 tonnes per hectare.

In 2011, the National Office of Intellectual Property granted a licence to Phu Quoc pepper, helping the district to affirm its product's traditional value and quality while creating conditions for it to introduce its product to the world market.

Phu Quoc district is working on a pepper growing process in an efficient and eco-friendly manner that it will train farmers on.

Local officials said they were targeting clean and safe products to serve both domestic consumption and exports.

According to Nguyen Minh Truc, head of Phu Quoc's Economic Office, the locality targeted organic and sustainable cultivation of pepper plantations while promoting its brand name in domestic and foreign markets.

Apart from local specialties such as pearls, seafood, fish sauce and wine, pepper in Phu Quoc is developing in a sustainable manner in combination with services and tourism, contributing to the locality's socio-economic growth. — VNS