According to the information from the Ministry of Foreign Trade of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Chinese company Hunan Pengfei International Trade Co., Ltd. has signed an agreement in person with the Congolese side, planning to purchase 180,000 tons of dried chili peppers annually.

On July 27, 2026, Julien Paluku Kahongya, the Minister of Foreign Trade of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, disclosed this news during a meeting with representatives of the Christian International Chamber of Commerce and the head of the Parc Agro-industriel du Congo, Paul Okitana Omombo.

The minister introduced that the contract was signed by Luo Shixian, the representative of the Congolese Chamber of Commerce, and Hunan Pengfei International Trade Co., Ltd. However, the relevant contract documents have not been made public yet. Therefore, key information such as the contract amount, implementation period, implementation schedule, payment guarantee mechanism, delivery conditions, and dispute resolution methods remain unknown.

The target of 180,000 tons is far beyond the current production volume. According to the data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations' Statistical Database (FAOSTAT), the total production of dried chili peppers and sweet peppers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is expected to be approximately 36,000 tons in 2024. If calculated based on the annual export target of 180,000 tons, the required production volume will be nearly five times the current level. To achieve this scale, the Democratic Republic of the Congo needs to significantly expand the area of chili cultivation, develop new production areas, and at the same time enhance the capabilities of chili processing, drying, storage, and transportation.

Currently, the government has not specified whether the 180,000-ton target will be completed within the first year of the contract implementation or will be achieved in the future years through gradually expanding production capacity. The government plans to promote the construction of the chili industry system. Julien Paluku called for the establishment of a national joint organization of chili producers and exporters to coordinate industrial development. He also proposed to conduct a survey of the national chili production areas and draw a distribution map, assess the existing production capacity, introduce improved seeds, promote farmers to form cooperatives, and carry out production training in accordance with international market standards.

The Ministry of Foreign Trade, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, and the Ministry of Rural Development will jointly participate in the relevant work. Meanwhile, the Congolese Customs General Administration (OCC) and the National Export Promotion Agency (Anapex) will be responsible for export quality management, the establishment of certification systems, and providing support to export enterprises. According to Anapex, a working group specifically responsible for chili industry development was established on July 24, 2026.

The composition of the members, budget arrangement, specific goals, and action plans of this working group have not been announced yet. The execution status of the Chinese-Congolese agricultural cooperation orders has not been disclosed. The government has not yet disclosed the actual execution of these orders or the amount of products that have completed export and entered the Chinese market. The annual export revenue is expected to exceed 500 million US dollars.

The announced 180,000-ton chili purchase plan brings new market expectations for the agricultural exports of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Compared with the previously announced 10,000-ton chili export target in 2024, the new annual purchase scale is 18 times larger. The Ministry of Foreign Trade of the Democratic Republic of the Congo stated that if this export scale can be achieved, it may bring over 500 million US dollars in annual revenue. However, whether this expectation can be fulfilled will depend on whether the Democratic Republic of the Congo can continuously expand production and meet the quality, stable supply, and standardized production requirements of the Chinese market. In addition, entering the Chinese market not only requires export capabilities, but also must meet requirements such as quality control, product traceability, and plant quarantine. Although preferential tariff policies for products from the least developed countries can reduce the cost of market entry, they do not automatically guarantee that the products will gain commercial recognition or meet import hygiene standards. The limited background information of the purchasing enterprise, Hunan Pengfei International Trade Co., Ltd., is a private enterprise registered in Changsha City, Hunan Province, China.

According to publicly available business information in China, the company was established in April 2021 with a registered capital of 10 million yuan. Its registered business scope includes agricultural products and food import and export, wholesale, and sales. However, the current publicly available information does not show the company's revenue, the scale of chili imports, financial situation, or main customer information. There are still issues related to the industrial foundation that need to be addressed behind the large orders. Currently, this export plan more reflects the development goals of the chili industry in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the significant gap between the existing production capacity. Whether the annual supply target of 180,000 tons can be achieved depends not only on the increase in planting area and output, but also on local agricultural infrastructure, processing capacity, export system, and whether the enterprise can continuously meet the quality, traceability, and compliance requirements of the Chinese market. For the Democratic Republic of the Congo, this plan not only provides an opportunity to expand agricultural exports and reduce reliance on mining, but also poses new challenges to its agricultural industrial organization capabilities.