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tour.name = OFI Pleiku Pepper Estate
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HTMLText_012C344A_39D1_37C5_41A0_0D216F35CF0C.html = The most significant difference in the trellis system, compared to the conventional method of growing pepper, is that the stem and branches are allowed space to spread – creating more fruiting branches. This directly results in higher crop production, while also simplifying the mobility of our employees during harvest.
In 2017, we began a composting program consisting of coffee waste, rice husks and cow manure, which produces 10,000 MT annually.
Did you know we only utilize 30% of the land on our pepper estate in Vietnam for pepper planting? The rest we've reserved for afforestation and ancillary work. To date, nearly 500 acres (200+ hectares) of mixed varieties of forest trees have been planted. In total, we plan to grow 988.4 acres (400 hectares) of trees over the next two years. The trees will take 6 or 7 years to fully mature and will offer numerous benefits to the farm and local community including sequestration of carbon, providing habitat to support biodiversity, enriching water streams and acting as wind belts for the pepper vines.
By taking the learnings from our estate, we have helped a group of smallholder farmers produce a fully sustainable and traceable supply of black pepper while training them on ways to reduce their environmental footprint. So far, the growers have decreased:
-inputs by 62%
-labor costs by 38%
-water use by 8%
Farmers in the program receive this training at no cost and are not obligated to sell us their harvests. What began in 2017 with 100 farmers has expanded to 459 farmers with 320 of them earning a Rain Forest Alliance (RFA) certification, which often offers an additional premium.
Our pepper harvest lasts four months and reaches its peak between February and March. The pepper spikes are hand-harvested in two rounds, as the spikes mature at different stages.
In 2017, we began a composting program consisting of coffee waste, rice husks and cow manure, which produces 10,000 MT annually.
Seedlings from our hardening nursery are planted next to a concrete pole for support. The vine will continue to climb the pole as it grows, eventually reaching a height of 3.3m or ~11ft in 18 months.
On the estate, we have two greenhouses, both of which sit on a total area of 0.25ha of land, each.
In 2017, we began a composting program consisting of coffee waste, rice husks and cow manure, which produces 10,000 MT annually.
Our pepper harvest lasts four months and reaches its peak between February and March. The pepper spikes are hand-harvested in two rounds, as the spikes mature at different stages.
Established in Oct 2020, our on-site laboratory is developing 3 types of probiotic fungi to suppress the harmful nematodes and restore soil fertility. Nematodes penetrate and suck nutrients from the root system. It facilitates the penetration of harmful fungus, causing quick wilt and slow wilt. These nematodes are one of the main reasons for the massive failure of pepper farms in Gia Lai province since 2015. Until now large quantity of inorganic chemicals were used to control nematodes, yet it was not effective and made soil degraded.
Here’s a breakdown of the process which takes 28-30 DAYS to get the final product:
- The technician transplants and multiplies the original fungus (Trichoderma harzianum, Trichoderma viride, Paecilomyces lilacinus) through three stages.
- Mixing the third stage product with water.
- Applying to the soil through a drip irrigation system, allowing it to precisely target the root system.
The good fungus also helps decompose plant residue, contributing to the preservation of soil biodiversity. Combining with the organic manure and mulching technique; the soil will gradually restore its health and fertility.
A team of experts of the Vietnam Pepper estate are ready to assist local farmers with these techniques too, as soon as they get the government certification. Out of the 20,000MT the estate is producing, 5,000 MT will be available to the smallholder farmers at half the market price.
Did you know we only utilize 30% of the land on our pepper estate in Vietnam for pepper planting? The rest we've reserved for afforestation and ancillary work. To date, nearly 500 acres (200+ hectares) of mixed varieties of forest trees have been planted. In total, we plan to grow 988.4 acres (400 hectares) of trees over the next two years. The trees will take 6 or 7 years to fully mature and will offer numerous benefits to the farm and local community including sequestration of carbon, providing habitat to support biodiversity, enriching water streams and acting as wind belts for the pepper vines.
This is one of five water reservoirs located across the estate which stores a total volume of about 200,000 gallons (800,000 M3) of water.
Established in Oct 2020, our on-site laboratory is developing 3 types of probiotic fungi to suppress the harmful nematodes and restore soil fertility. Nematodes penetrate and suck nutrients from the root system. It facilitates the penetration of harmful fungus, causing quick wilt and slow wilt. These nematodes are one of the main reasons for the massive failure of pepper farms in Gia Lai province since 2015. Until now large quantity of inorganic chemicals were used to control nematodes, yet it was not effective and made soil degraded.
Here’s a breakdown of the process which takes 28-30 DAYS to get the final product:
- The technician transplants and multiplies the original fungus (Trichoderma harzianum, Trichoderma viride, Paecilomyces lilacinus) through three stages.
- Mixing the third stage product with water.
- Applying to the soil through a drip irrigation system, allowing it to precisely target the root system.
The good fungus also helps decompose plant residue, contributing to the preservation of soil biodiversity. Combining with the organic manure and mulching technique; the soil will gradually restore its health and fertility.
A team of experts of the Vietnam Pepper estate are ready to assist local farmers with these techniques too, as soon as they get the government certification. Out of the 20,000MT the estate is producing, 5,000 MT will be available to the smallholder farmers at half the market price.
Drip irrigation is used to precisely distribute water and nutrients directly to the plants’ root zone, resulting in 30-50% less water usage. We also use an irrigation optimization system called Ornavera to monitor soil moisture at two different depths, minimizing the quantity of water required. The same system is also used to monitor plant growth, overall plant health and diseases.
A cover crop, Arachis pintoi, is planted between the rows of pepper to naturally conserve moisture in the soil, while also serving as a leguminous nitrogen fixer.
Nematodes suck nutrients from root systems by facilitating the penetration of harmful fungus, causing quick wilt and slow wilt. Established in Oct 2020, our on-site laboratory is developing 3 types of probiotic fungi to suppress harmful nematodes and restore soil fertility naturally. These fungi, along with our compost, will be available to local smallholder farmers at half the market price.
The first stage of development begins with gathering healthy, disease-free pepper shoots harvested from our Mother Plant Nursery. Each shoot will have about 30 single nodes and each node will produce one healthy polybag plant in our Green House nursery.
After the plants have developed roots and leaves, they are transferred to the hardening nursery, where the plants are nurtured to acclimatize to normal weather conditions.
By taking the learnings from our estate, we have helped a group of smallholder farmers produce a fully sustainable and traceable supply of black pepper while training them on ways to reduce their environmental footprint. So far, the growers have decreased:
-inputs by 62%
-labor costs by 38%
-water use by 8%
Farmers in the program receive this training at no cost and are not obligated to sell us their harvests. What began in 2017 with 100 farmers has expanded to 459 farmers with 320 of them earning a Rain Forest Alliance (RFA) certification, which often offers an additional premium.
Once small yellow spikes begin to develop at each leaf node on the lateral branches, we being to look for about 50 to 150 creamy white flowers start appearing on the spikes. This usually happens around June and July. The spike growth and flower pollination phases are complete in 35 to 42 days. The berries along the spikes will continue to gain fresh weight as they mature and will be harvested once they begin to turn yellow or red. From spike development to harvest takes 165-180 days.
Since we began to implement the use of bio-control agents in 2019, the estate has been able to reduce chemical fertilizers, in-organic pesticides and fungicides by 54% compared to 2018.
Our team is currently working on a new method of growing black pepper plants, called "Trellising". We are running 5 trials to determine the most effective way to increase growth and crop yield through lateral branches, while reducing harvesting and upkeep costs. The results thus far have been encouraging.
Since 2017, we have been producing organic manure on the estate. Here, we use agricultural waste materials to produce well decomposed, high-quality organic manure in 90 days that has been fortified with microorganisms to help our pepper plants grow with healthy roots.
Seedlings from our hardening nursery are planted next to a concrete pole for support. The vine will continue to climb the pole as it grows, eventually reaching a height of 3.3m or ~11ft in 18 months.
By taking the learnings from our estate, we have helped a group of smallholder farmers produce a fully sustainable and traceable supply of black pepper, while training them on ways to reduce their environmental footprint. So far, the growers have decreased:
-inputs by 62%
-labor costs by 38%
-water use by 8%
Farmers in the program receive this training at no cost and are not obligated to sell us their harvests. What began in 2017 with 100 farmers has expanded to 459 farmers with 320 of them earning a Rain Forest Alliance (RFA) certification, which often offers an additional premium.
Out of the 10,000 MT of compost produced each year at the estate, 3,000 MT will be used to support the ~400 smallholder farmers in our program. They will also have access to 5,000 MT of beneficial fungi from the 20,000 MT the estate is producing. This will be available to the smallholder farmers at half the market price.
On the estate, we have two greenhouses, both of which sit on a total area of 0.25ha of land, each.
We have been working with the Center for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) to train our staff as Plant Doctors. The goal of the CABI program is to achieve higher yields with improved crop quality by building the capacity of field staff to quickly and effectively diagnose and treat pepper plants.
The Olam Spices Vietnam team is comprised of 77 full-time employees, with women making up 30% of that number. Most employees come from rural farming communities near the pepper estate, 100% of which, are compensated more than 25% above the average living wage bench mark for the region.
Our greenhouse nursery is the first of its kind in Vietnam to grow pepper plants under fully automated climate control systems, by which the temperature, humidity and irrigation aspects are automatically monitored and adjusted for ideal plant growth.
The Olam Spices pepper estate in Vietnam has adopted smart agricultural practices, making it a sustainable source of Global Gap Certified pepper since 2019.
Fueled by a passion for the kind of consistency and specialization only guaranteed from a single source, we sought the world’s best location to nurture and grow our single estate pepper.
Located in the Central Highlands of Vietnam and spanning 275 hectares, this estate is the first of its kind in the industry, providing complete traceability back to the block of pepper planted.
Our team of experts use best-in-class agricultural practices to ensure each vine reaches its greatest potential using the least amount of inputs.
The Olam Spices pepper estate in Vietnam has adopted smart agricultural practices, making it a sustainable source of Global Gap Certified pepper since 2019.
For generations, pepper has been cultivated by cutting off the stem of an existing 5 node pepper vine and replanting it by sticking it into the soil without roots. As a result, only 1-2 out of the 3, 5 node cuttings planted would survive the process ( a 70-75% chance) and grow into a mature pepper plant.
Inspection of the leaves
P&D management
The black pepper plants are separated by variety and mother plant to ensure superior traceability.
Olam Spices Vietnam
La Brel Village, La Le Commune, Chu Puh District, Gia Lai Province, Vietnam
Seedlings from the hardening nursery are transplanted in the field next to one of our concrete poles. Within 3 years, these plants begin producing pepper spikes along the vine, eventually reaching full maturity between the 4th and 5th year. 100% of the pepper produced is fully traceable back to the block of pepper planted, unlike anything else available in the industry.
Inspection of the leaves
P&D management
The black pepper plants are separated by variety and mother plant to ensure superior traceability.
Traditionally, pepper plants are grown on trees, brick structures, wooden or concrete poles – such as the ones used on our estate. As we continuously search for the most efficient growing practices, we are proud to be the first in the industry to trial a new method of black pepper planting called trellising. This practice is a common growing technique for other crops such as grapes and tomatoes but has never been tested for pepper. The purpose of this trial is to increase the number of lateral (productive) branches, monitor all morphological features of the plants and improve harvest productivity by adopting a mechanized harvest to reduce labor costs.
Single-node cuttings from our mother plant nursery are treated with a rooting medium to prevent diseases before being planted in our greenhouse nursery where there is screen shading, climate control and an irrigation system in place. In 90 days, the single-node cutting produces excellent planting material with six leaves and a strong root system. These are then taken to our hardening nursery where they will continue to develop over the next 3-4 weeks before being transplanted in the field.
Farmers in Vietnam typically use higher amounts of inorganic chemicals to control pests and diseases in their black pepper crop, which can impact the quality. To considerably reduce chemical usage (54% over 2018 consumption and 17% over 2019), we have focused on using organic methods, including the application of organic manure fortified with bio control agents (using beneficial fungi) to prevent diseases in pepper plants. The organic manure is produced on-site using agricultural waste products and animal excreta with a decomposition process of about 100 days.
We have taken many steps to conserve water and optimize usage through all stages of our operations. For instance, on our estate, we store rainwater runoff for irrigation in the summer months in our water reservoirs. We also employ serval conservation efforts which includes the precise distribution of water and nutrients via drip irrigation and cover cropping to conserve moisture in the soil.
In our mother plant nursery, we use four different varieties of pepper to produce healthy and disease-free, single node cuttings. This is the largest, state-of-the-art modern nursery in Vietnam and can supply one million pepper plants a year. It has even been certified by the government of Vietnam. This is the first time that the government has issued a certificate for pepper plants in this industry.