The International Pepper Community (IPC) is an intergovernmental organization currently comprising seven pepper producing countris namely Brazil, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and the Federated States of Micronesia. The IPC was established in 1972 under the auspices of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) with the basic objective is to promote, coordinate and harmonize all activities relating to the pepper industry.

Objectives and Functions

The basic function of the IPC is to promote, co-ordinate and harmonize all activities relating to the pepper economy with a view to achieving the following broad objectives:

• to co-ordinate and stimulate research on technical and economic aspects of production, including research on diseases affecting the pepper plant, research on development of disease-resistant and high-yielding varieties;
• to facilitate the exchange of information on the programmes and policies, and on any other aspects relating to production
• to developm programmes for increasing consumption in traditional and new markets, including programmes of co-operation in promotion activities;
• to intensify and co-ordinate research on new uses of pepper;
• to further joint action for the relaxation of tariff and non tariff barriers and for the removal of other obstacles to trade;
• to co-ordinate standards of quality so as to facilitate international marketing;
• to keep under constant review developments relating to supply, demand and prices of pepper;
• to carry out invesigations into the causes and consequences of fluctuations in the prices of pepper and suggest appropriate solution;
• to improve statistical and other information on pepper production, consumption, trade and prices, including techniques of production and consumption forecasting; and
• to undertake such other activities and fucntions as may be deemed desirable in the interests of the world pepper economy

Publications:

The IPC presently publishes the followings:

• International Pepper News Bulletin: a quarterly publication presenting market information, market development and research output pertaining to the pepper industry within and outside the producing countries.
• Pepper Statistical Yearbook: an annual publication presenting worlwide statistical information on area, production, export, import, re-export and international prices of pepper presented in tabular and graphical forms.
• Directory of Pepper Importers contains the name, address, telephone, fax, telex and contact person and other information of approximately 200 exporters of pepper and pepper products in IPC countries.
• Directory of Pepper Exporters contains the name, address, telephone, fax, telex and contact person and other information of approximately 380 importers/grinders/agent/ processors of pepper and pepper products all over the world.
• Annual Pepper  Country Statistics: presents global statistics of pepper and detail pepper statistics in producing countries
• Pepper Info: a bi-weekly publication informing domestic pepper prices and pepper market development

Projects and Studies

The IPC has been involved in the implementation of a number of projects and studies as listed below:


• exchange of extension workers and leading farmers in Indonesia, 1986
• exchange of extension workers and leading farmers in India, 1989;
• exchange of planting materials for inter-country varietal trieal;
• formulation of rules of arbitration for common sales contract form;
• workshop on pepper diseases in Goa, India, 1988;
• workshop on pepper diseases in Bandar Lampung, Indonesia, 1991;
• computerized trade intelligence for pepper and pepper products;
• pilot project to determine the possible areas of new end-uses of pepper;
• cooperation among the IPC member countries in the development and use of a computer simulation model for forecasting supply, demand and prices of pepper;
• market study to d etermine demand prospects of pepper in selected countries in the ESCAP region;
• market promotion to increase consumption of pepper in selected countries;
• study on the potential for intra-regional trade expansion for pepper in selected ESCAP developing countries;
• socio-economic study on production and productivity of pepper holding in India, Indonesia and Malaysia;
• an examination of pepper economy in Brazil and Madagascar;
• a consolidated study on determination of remunerative price level of pepper in India, Indonesia and Malaysia;
• study on the stabilization of export arning form pepper;
• expert groun on improvement of quality, quality control and storage of pepper and pepper products;
• pepper processing consultancey services to IPC member countries;
• new technology for quality improvement of pepper;
• study of quality and weight loss problems encountered with container shipment of pepper;
• standard list of descriptos on pepper cultivars;
• study of short and long term trends in marketing of white pepper;
• international pepper seminar 1994 "towards a more vibrant pepper economy"
• market study on the market development of pepper in asia and pacific region; and
• feasibility study of pepper futures contract

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